Life Happens
by ColorOfAngels
Summary: A story of Harry and Ginny, their lives, friendships, realtionships and everything in between. Life doesn't always take the road they expect or want but they soon learn that no matter how hard they try to stop it, Life Happens Post OotP thru Post Hogwarts
1. Letters

Disclaimer: Okay people I'll say this once. If anyone actually thinks that I am trying to claim as my own, anything in this story that belongs to JKR, then I honestly think we have bigger issues then copyright laws.

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Harry lay in bed staring at the ceiling. This was nothing new since he hadn't really moved from this spot since he had arrived at the Dursley's the day before yesterday. He hadn't even mustered the will power to go downstairs to get himself something to eat. It didn't matter though, he wasn't hungry and the Dursley's wouldn't notice or care if he starved to death, they were perfectly happy to have him never leave his room so they could all pretend he wasn't even in the house.

And Harry was contented to be ignored since he had zero desires to leave this room, in fact he never wanted to leave this spot on the bed. Because if he did, he might have to think. He didn't want to think about what had happened, he didn't want to think about how his actions had caused the death of his Godfather, he didn't want to think about Voldemort, and he really didn't want to think about the prophecy that was to be his destiny. He was numb and all he wanted to think about was how the stain on the ceiling of the smallest bedroom of number four,Privet Drivelooked like a bunny rabbit eating an ice cream cone.

In the middle of contemplating whether or not he should name the ice cream eating bunny, Harry heard a familiar tapping at the window. He sighed and clenched his eyes shut for a moment in a futile attempt at hoping the owl would go away if he just ignored it. He wasn't ready to rejoin the rest of the world, even if was only through mail. Of course, no owl worth its keep would give up that easily and the tapping only became more insistent, so with another audible sigh he swung his legs over the side of his bed and shuffled over to the window to let the bird in.

It was Pig and he was carrying three letters and a small package that was as big as the pintsized owl, making Harry feel guilty for taking so long to let him inside. After Harry relieved him of his cargo, Pig fluttered around the room, took a drink of water, after a disapproving hoot from Hedwig of course, took the treat that Harry offered and took off back out the window. Harry watched Pig absently until the miniature bird was no more than a little speck on the horizon before he turned from the window and sat down to attend to his mail.

He could tell by the neat script on the envelope that the first letter on the pile was from Hermione. He stared at the letter for a long time, even putting it down on the desk several times with intentions to leave it for later, before finally resigning to get it over with. Quickly breaking the seal on the envelope, like ripping off a plaster, he withdrew the inner parchment and began to read.

_Dear Harry,_

_I hope that you made it to the Dursley's safely and in one piece. I also hope that after the warning they received, that the Dursley's don't give you a hard time this summer. My parents had to go see my great aunt who had another attack of gout, and I am staying with the Weasley's in the meantime. So, if you want to talk/write or otherwise get a hold of me, you'll know where to reach me. _

_As far as what happened in the Department of Mysteries, I know what you must be going through and I want you to know that it's not your fault. Nobody blames you so you shouldn't blame yourself. It's okay to be sad and to mourn, but please don't torture yourself. I know that Sirius would not want…_

Hermione went on in much the same way for another six inches and as this was exactly he didn't want to want to hear or think about right now, Harry put the letter aside and picked up the second. It was from Ron.

_Hey Harry,_

_I know that Hermione is writing you to, so you probably already know that she is here with us at you know where. Mum thought that we would all be safer here after what happened. I hope the Muggles aren't too awful, has Dudley gotten fatter? I bet he has. So, I asked Dad if you could come over now, but he said Dumbledore said you can't yet, but I promise that I'll keep bugging them until they cave._

_Ron_

At least Ron didn't mention Sirius or ask him to talk, Harry thought to himself. Not that he really expected him too, that wasn't really his best friend's style. Setting Ron's letter down, he stared out the window for a minute before remembering the third letter and the package. Curious as too who they were from, he picked up the letter but didn't recognize the handwriting automatically as he had with Ron and Hermione's letters. Opening it up he quickly looked down to the closing and was surprised to see it was from Ginny of all people. But he hadn't the foggiest as to why Ron's little sister would be writing him.

_Hi Harry!_

_You're probably wondering why I'm writing you, but I wanted to send you some of the cookies Mum baked last night…_

Well, that answered that question, Harry thought as he glanced at the brown paper wrapped package he had tossed on the desk. Popping open the tin that was inside, he grabbed a cookie and started to nibble idly as he continued to read.

…_as I'm sure the Dursley's don't have anything close to this good. They're Snickerdoodles, my personal favorite so I thought you might enjoy some too. Hermione just got here this morning and she_'s _already fought with Ron, twice. So, to find some peace and quiet I've been exploring the backyard. It's really much larger then you would think. I'm writing to you from up in a tree actually, there is a great little knothole to put my ink in. So I thought you might get bored being all by yourself and all so here's a riddle._**_ How do you make a tissue dance? _**_Try to figure it out and get back to me okay? Oh and on the second piece of parchment I thought we might play a game of hang man. Guess a letter and send it back and I'll fill it in and send it back to you… _

Harry looked and sure enough there was another page with Ginny's hidden message"-/ - -/ - - - -/ - - -/ - - -/ - - - -/ - - -/ - - -/ - - - - -/"

_Hope to hear from you soon._

_Always-_

_Ginny_

Harry smiled to himself as he imagined Ginny sitting in a tree with her quill, ink and parchment trying to think of a hang man message. He was then taken aback and found himself feeling guilty when he caught himself smiling.

He wallowed in his guilt for a few minutes until Hedwig gave a doleful hoot and gave Harry a neglected look from her perch in the corner. Knowing what she was asking for Harry gave the owl the last bite of the cookie in his hand while he was up to get his writing supplies from his trunk. Reaching into the tin for another cookie he sat down to reply to his letters. Since he knew that Ron and Hermione were together he decided to write them a joint letter. He didn't know what to say, he didn't really want to say anything but he knew they would worry if he didn't reply.

_Dear Ron and Hermione-_

_I'm fine don't worry. Ron, yes Dudley has gotten fatter. Hermione, don't worry about the Dursley's I haven't hardly even seen them since I got here. And guys don't worry about bugging Dumbledore I'm thinking that I might just stay here at the Dursley's all summer._

_Harry_

He knew they were not going to be happy with his reply, but he couldn't find it within himself to write more. He was not going to write about what he knew they wanted him to write about. He wasn't ready to talk about Sirius or what happened that night in the Department of Mysteries and at this point he felt like he never would be. But he didn't want to think about that, instead he took on the much less upsetting task of answering Ginny's letter.

_Dear Ginny-_

_I don't know, how do you make a tissue dance?…_

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A/N Hey guys this is my first fic so I would really appreciate any kind of input or ideas that you guys might have. I myself am a very reliable reviewer and I would appreciate if you would do the same. Thanks!

Also I am just getting started so keep on the lookout for updates!

REVISED 4/18/12


	2. Responses

Disclaimer: See chapter 1.….I'm still assuming you guys aren't dumb

A/N Sorry guys for some reason the hang man message didnt want to show up in the last chapter but you'll find out in this one...enjoy

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"GINNY! Your breakfast is going to get cold if you don't get your bum out of that bed right now!"

Ginny grumbled incoherently to herself as she stumbled around attempting to make herself presentable, in her mother's eyes at least, to go downstairs to breakfast. She grabbed a pair of jeans she found crumpled in the corner and wiggled into them. She smiled to herself as they slipped comfortably over her hips, fitting like an old worn glove. Her mother might call them old and dirty, she preferred to call it broken in. Without using a brush or a mirror, she threw her long hair up into a messy bun as she plodded downstairs barefoot. She started to move a little quicker when she remembered that she could expect another letter from Harry today.

They had been writing each other for over two weeks now and since he always answered her the day after she sent him a letter it worked out that they could each expect a letter from one another every other day.

Ginny said good morning to everyone as she sat down next to Tonks, who was joining them for breakfast. As she snagged a couple pancakes off the platter that was sitting in the middle of the table, her thoughts drifted back to Harry.

_So far everything seems to be going as planned,_ Ginny thought to herself. _If I keep talking about nothing and writing silly little jokes hopefully he will relax and open up. I mean he is already writing me longer letters and more often than he is to Ron and Hermione, even if only by a few sentences and it's because I write him first. And I know he is enjoying the jokes, in his last letter he said the first one was his favorite, Actually I think it was mine too._ Remembering her joke Ginny couldn't help but break out into a grin.

"What's so funny Ginny?" Tonks asked as she popped another strip of bacon into her mouth.

"What?" Ginny was jerked out of her thoughts, when she realized someone was talking to her.

"You're smiling like you thought of something funny." Tonks said, bringing everyone's attention over to Ginny.

"Oh," Ginny was surprised. She didn't realize anyone was paying attention to her, "It's nothing, it's just a dumb little joke I remembered. Nothing important."

"Well then, lets hear it," Tonks requested. "Come on every one can use a little joke now and then, no matter how silly it is," she added in reply to Ginny skeptical look.

"It's really not that funny," she tried again but seeing that everyone was still looking at her she shrugged. "Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you. How do you make a tissue dance?" She paused for effect, "Put a little boogie in it."

"Ginerva Weasley! That is highly inappropriate when people are trying to eat!"

Ron and the twins laughed out loud, more at their mother's indignation than at Ginny's joke itself. Even Tonks had to hide her smile behind her coffee cup.

"Come on Mum, what's a little mucus humor between friends, right?"

Fred's cheekiness got himself a smack on the head from his mother's wooden spoon, thus causing Fred to choke on the piece of toast he was eating, which only made Ron and George laugh harder and Hermione to look up from the book she was reading with vague concern.

Usually Ginny would be proud of herself for causing a little commotion, but this morning she had other things on her mind. She knew that Harry was probably able to figure out her message yesterday and she hoped he took it well. She just had her fingers crossed that it wouldn't stop the little progress she had already made with him.

Ginny wasn't quite sure why she had taken it upon herself, as her personal crusade, to get Harry to open up. _Perhaps,_ she thought to herself, _it's because I know what it's like to feel alone and alienated from the rest of the world. I know what it's like to have that feeling, like something is eating you up inside and have nobody there to talk to who will just listen and not judge. _

Once again Ginny was jerked from her thoughts, this time however, not by a person but by the snow white owl that had just flown in through the window. Hedwig flew directly to her and landed on her shoulder allowing Ginny to retrieve the letter from the bird's foot. Then, after a sampling of Ginny's pancakes, Hedwig flew up to wait in girls' room to rest, knowing from experience that she would soon have a letter to take back to Harry.

Ginny looked up when she realized that Ron had stopped bickering with Hermione over the proper way to peel an orange and was now staring at her expectantly.

"I make a slice in the peel with a knife to start it and then peel the rest of it using my fingernails." Ginny stated simply, pretending not know the real reason her brother was staring at her like she had suddenly grown a second nose. She looked at Hermione hoping she would save her from what she knew was about to happen, but was disheartened by the look of curiosity peering out at her from behind a mass of messy brown hair and knew Hermione wasn't going to change the subject. A quick glance around the table confirmed that the same curiosity was shared by all who were eating there morning meal.

"That was Hedwig…. Again!" Ron said accusingly, as if instead of receiving post he had discovered that she had been making counterfeit galleons in the basement and hadn't given him any. "Why does Harry write you every other day when all I get from him is a _I'm fine, don't worry, see you next year._"

Ginny chose to flatly ignore his outburst and nervously opened Harry's letter as a million thoughts ran through her mind. _Did he figure out my message yet and if he did will he listen to it or just ignore it… I hope he figured it out, but I don't know if I'm ready for him to… _ She pulled out the top sheet of paper which held their game of hang man, and her hopes and fears were realized at the same time. She saw his square letters filling the holes between her loopy ones. He had figure out her message.

**I _M_/ H _E_ _R E_/ F _O R_/ Y _O _U/ W H _E_ N/ Y _O_ U/ _A R_ _E_/ _R_ _E_ _A_ D Y/**

This, she saw was followed by a smaller_ I think I'm ready._

Ginny's stomach fluttered when she looked back into the envelope and saw a lengthy letter. She shoved the hang man message into her pocket and quickly asked her mum if she could be excused. But before her mother could even open her mouth to say a word, Ginny was already at the foot of the stairs and heard her brother shout to her retreating form. "What does it say!" She didn't stop, but continued up the stairs skipping every other one.

She threw open the door of the room she and Hermione shared. Her eyes darted quickly as she scanned the room, making sure no one else was there who could some how see her letter. She felt a little silly as logically she knew that everyone was still downstairs in the kitchen eating.

Sitting down at her desk, it was with a shaky hand that she nervously reopened Harry's letter. She wasn't sure what to expect.

_Dear Ginny-_

Hedwig flew down from the top of the bureau where she had been resting, and landed softly on Ginny's knee. _It is as if she knows what I am about to read and she came down for moral support._ Ginny thought to herself as she stroked Hedwig's feathers absentmindedly. _That's probably exactly what she is doing, she is an exceptional bird._ She concluded and with that she turned back to Harry's words.

_Dear Ginny-_

_I know what you were trying to do with your riddles and jokes and pointless stories. And I want to thank you because well, it worked. Your letters are the only thing that I have to look for forward to in my life right now. Your silly stories give me a much needed break from reality. When I read your letters I actually feel something, even if it is only a mild amusement or a small chuckle. The rest of the time I don't feel anything. _

_No matter what everybody keeps trying to tell me, the simple facts are that I know that I caused Sirius's death, I know that I led my friends into a trap where so many, including yourself, got hurt. I know that it's my fault. And even though I know all this, I still feel nothing, I'm hollow, I'm an empty shell. I lie in bed every day staring at my ceiling thinking about what happened, playing it over and over in my head. Yet the only emotion I can manage to muster up is guilt, but not for what I did, but for my lack of other emotions. I want to feel awful and scream or cry or break something or just do something that would prove to myself that I'm still alive, that I'm still a person. Then maybe I could face my future that I now know is inevitable. Ginny I know my future, I know my future and I feel nothing. _

_I'm sorry for rambling, but I feel like I can talk to you, that I can tell you this because I know you will listen. I know that I don't even know you all that well, before this summer you were always just Ron's little sister and a member of the DA, but through your letters all summer I realized you're a lot more than that. I know that I can tell you this without being judged. I know I couldn't tell Ron this because I don't think he could understand or even if he did he wouldn't be able to handle it. And Hermione is to busy telling me what to feel, to listen to how I feel and even so she would just try to analyze me if I did tell her. I wish I could tell you everything Ginny but I can't get myself to put on paper. I'm sorry for burdening you with this and I'm sorry if this was too much and I'll understand if you don't want to write back. Really, I wont hold it against you, you've done so much already._

_Harry _

Ginny stared at the letter in her hand for a long time, turning it over again and again as if she was expecting more to suddenly materialize. A hot tear rolled slowly down her cheek and she made no motion to wipe it away.

Her breathing suddenly quickened and she felt as if the walls were closing in. She had to get out of her room and she had to get out quick. She jumped off the bed and crossed to the window, sat on the sill and swung her left leg over the side. She then hoisted herself onto the roof and crawled up, staying low so that no one could see her from the ground. She continued crawling until she reached the spot on the backside of the house that leveled out, but where she was hidden from view. She had found this spot last summer and it had been her refuge when things got too hectic, when things got to be too much, or when she just needed to think. Much like right now.

Her heart physically ached in her chest, she felt Harry's pain emanating from the page or was it his inability to feel pain? She was glad he had opened up to her, but now she didn't know what to do. His letter had only left more questions for Ginny, questions that she knew she couldn't ask in a letter. She wanted to relieve some of his torment, or at least give him a hug and reassure him that she was there for him. But she knew that he was determined to spend his summer in solitary confinement at the Dursley's in penance which he felt he deserved, well out of hugging reach.

She read Harry's letter again and thought as she lay on the roof, while the morning summer sun rose and she could feel the warmth envelope her from both the sun above and the warming shingles pressed against her back. She didn't know exactly how long she had been out there, but by the position of the sun it had to be at least an hour before she had finished formulating her plan. She shimmied back towards her window with a look of determination upon her face. She had a letter to write, but this time it wasn't to Harry.

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A/N I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter…. It's a little bit longer than the first…I'm already working on chapter three so keep a look out for it…..I would love it if you guys could review and tell me what you like and what you don't like…. It will only help me write even better chapters for you guys to enjoy! Love Always

REVISED 4/18/12


	3. Revelations

A/N Hey guys! here is chapter 3...i hope you guys like it...

Disclaimer: Still thinking I'm trying to pass this stuff off as my own?…then I want to talk to you about a little investment piece called the Brooklyn Bridge….

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Harry paced around the room unable to sit still.

_I am such an idiot! Why did I have to write that letter to Ginny? Why couldn't I have just kept all of that stuff to myself like I meant to?_ He paused in front of the window hoping to see a familiar white owl somewhere in the sky. _I don't even know why I said all of that stuff. I only meant to write her and thank her for the invitation to talk to her. I didn't mean to actually talk. I don't know what happened, but as soon as my quill hit the page I just couldn't stop writing. I probably just freaked her out and she'll never want to talk to me again._

He continued to pace, a knot slowly forming in his stomach. Hedwig should have been back this morning, and it was now well after lunch. He couldn't help but form a hundred scenarios in his mind on what could have happened that made Ginny not write back or something happening to Hedwig on her flight back. His heart leapt into his throat when Hedwig swooped through the window and it quickly sank to the bottom of his stomach when he saw she carried no letter.

"What happened?" Hedwig hooted an answer and Harry desperately wished he spoke owl.

_I knew I shouldn't have sent that letter. I should have ripped it up the second I finished it. Now I have succeeded in scaring off the only person I feel like talking to, the only person that I thought might be able to understand. Apparently I was wrong_. He was disappointed in himself and honestly, a little disappointed in Ginny. Which then caused him to become more disappointed in himself, for being disappointed in Ginny. After all, he reasoned with himself, it wasn't her job to deal with his problems. Feeling suddenly tired he lay back down on his bed and closed his eyes. It was just one more thing to add to the list of things he didn't want to think about any more.

Opening his eyes again, his gaze settled on Harvey(he had eventually decided that he was for naming the ice cream eating bunny). He sighed and thought, _Ya know it's to bad that you can't talk Harvey_. He was on his way to deciding that he had gone completely mad for even wanting to talk to a water stain, when an unexpected knock on the door made him jump to his feet.

He heard a familiar bellow coming from behind the door. "BOY!"

He sighed again. Why was his uncle bothering him? They had stayed out of each others way so far this summer. He felt they had a perfectly good thing going on, why did he have to ruin it now? He shuffled over to the door and opened it to see the very purple face of his uncle, who looked to be about as happy to be talking to Harry, as Harry was seeing his uncle.

"Mrs. Figg rang. She got a new sofa and needs help rearranging the furniture. Go help her immediately." And with that he turned around and stormed down the stairs as if he couldn't stand being in Harry's presence a moment longer.

Harry sighed once more, something that seemed to becoming a habit, as he looked for his trainers. He figured that Dumbledore had probably asked Mrs. Figg to invite him over to check on him, as he had not replied to the letter the headmaster had sent the week before. Harry however was not in the mood to be checked on.

Harry got himself together and for the first time all summer, he walked down the stairs and out the front door of Number Four Privet Drive. He didn't see his aunt, uncle or cousin on his way out the door and he figured that they were probably hiding from him. That was fine with him, he had no desire to have any kind of interaction with them either. He shuffled his feet the whole way to Mrs. Figg's house, not eager to spend the whole afternoon talking about cats.

When he reached the front door he had barely raised his hand to knock when the door was ripped open. He was shocked not to see Mrs. Figg, but instead to find…

"Ginny?"

In reply Ginny simply reached out, grabbed his hand and dragged him into the parlor. "Come on in, we were just sitting down to tea." Harry was more then a little surprised to see that Mrs. Figg was indeed pouring a third cup of tea. Ginny sat Harry down in a chair, and then proceeded to deposit herself direct across from him. He soon found that he could do nothing but stare at her as if she was an alien.

"You should really try one of these scones Mrs. Figg made, they are really delish." she continued on as if they did this every afternoon.

Harry finally managed to find his voice, "Ginny, why are you here? How did you get here? And does your mother know you are here?"

After swallowing a sip of tea Ginny replied, "After reading your letter it seemed to me that you needed to get out of that room and you needed to see a friendly face. So I wrote Mrs. Figg asking her to ask you here. I flooed over after lunch and no my mother does not know I'm here and as long as I get home before dinner at six, as far as I'm concerned she doesn't have to."

"Oh…I see." Harry was amazed that Ginny had gone to all this trouble for him. Especially since she was risking the wrath of Mrs. Weasley by sneaking out like this and he knew that her mother is one person whose wrath should be avoided at all costs. He felt awful and reprimanded herself for ever having doubted Ginny, she had really gone above and beyond.

Harry took the scone that Ginny offered and watched with amusement and pity as Ginny made the fatal mistake of asking about Mrs. Figg's cats. He knew that the redhead had a deep love for all animals, but after forty minutes, three scones and two cups of tea, he could tell that Ginny was having trouble continuing to feign an interest. She suddenly excused herself to go to the loo and Mrs. Figg turned to Harry. As she left the room she turned and mouthed a silent _I'm sorry_ to Harry who was now being educated on the differences and benefits between wet and dry cat good.

"So Harry, would you maybe like to go for a walk of something before I have to go home?"

Harry looked up and saw an angel with read hair emerge from the loo to come and take him away. "Sure that would be great."

As soon as they had reached the street Ginny dissolved into a fit of giggles. "I'm so sorry… I didn't realize that she would turn on you as soon as I left the room…I just couldn't take it anymore…"

Harry chuckled as well. "It's okay, at least you came out and rescued me." He paused for a moment, "So how are things going over at Number 12?" he asked showing an interest in what was going on in the outside world for the first time all summer.

"Well, I don't think that Ron and Hermione have stopped arguing since this summer started. I mean we both are all too familiar with their favorite pastime, but it is just getting ridiculous. I'm so not kidding, last night they had a whole to-do in the bathroom over whether you should wet your toothbrush prior of after applying the toothpaste."

Harry laughed as he envisioned this scene. "You might think it's funny, but it's driving me insane. It's everything with them these days, I think that they are trying to release all that sexual tension that has been building up over the years."

"Wait… what?" Harry asked cluelessly.

"Oh yeah, they want each other bad," Ginny replied as if it was completely obvious, which to everyone besides them, and apparently Harry, it was. "They just don't know what to do about it and it manifests itself by trying to drive me absolutely stark raving mad."

Harry considered this for a long moment. "Actually that kinda makes a lot of sense," he admitted. All sorts of things were suddenly becoming way clearer if he applied that knowledge behind it.

"Of course it does," Ginny replied, not having any doubts that it was true. "But I don't know how much more of them I can take, until they just snog already. Let me tell you I have been spending a lot of time by myself this summer out in the back yard. That's why I was able to sneak out today, nobody will even notice that I'm gone."

Ginny paused for a moment and after stealing a quick glance at Harry, she continued. "I wish you were there so that I would at least have someone to talk to." Harry turned and looked at her as if he was about to speak, but before he could open his mouth she had already changed the subject. "So Fred and George have been doing really well with their joke shop, I actually think that Mum is starting to accept it…"

Ginny continued to dominate the conversation as the pair slowly ambled down the sidewalk. Harry was fine with it as he was perfectly happy to listen to Ginny go through all the goings-on with the residents ofGrimmauld Place. Her voice, he noted, managed to be both upbeat and soothing at the same time, a quality that you couldn't help being drawn to.

They reached the park that Harry had frequented so many times the previous summer and by some silent agreement they made their way to the swings. As they sat an uneasy silence feel between them.

Harry suddenly found himself extremely interested in the tip of his shoe as he buried it in the sand. Ginny on the other hand, found some point of interest on the top branch of a nearby tree.

"I'm glad you came today Ginny," he said. Still watching the way his foot displaced the sand.

Ginny didn't reply right away. She was unsure which way she wished to take the conversation. She picked her feet up off the ground allowing herself to swing slightly, she took a deep breath before she continued. "Harry, why do you insist on staying here all summer living like some kind of recluse? Why don't you just come home where you belong?"

Harry looked up at Ginny, his green eyes searching her cinnamon brown ones. "Because is better for everyone this way." His gaze darted to his hand as it gripped the chain of the swing he was sitting on. He had a feeling that if he started to talk about why he had made the decision to stay away from them, he might not be able to stop from telling her everything.

"It's just safer for everyone if they stay as far away from me as possible. I'm not sorry you're here, but you probably shouldn't have even come today."

Ginny put her feet firmly back on the ground and opened her mouth to protest, but Harry didn't give her a chance. He began to explain, his voice calm and even, with a tone of acceptance. "You don't get it Ginny…my parents, Sirius even Cedric… they died because of me. Their fates were sealed by their mere association with me, my parents only crime was simply being my parents. Really, every person who has died at the hands of Voldemort has been my fault because I wasn't able to stop it. Voldemort is never going to stop coming after me, so as long as he is alive nobody that I love or care about is safe."

He paused glanced at Ginny who was listening with complete attention, he could tell she was waiting for him to continue and wasn't going to interrupt. As he continued, the passion with which he spoke slowly began to grow. "Every single person in the wizarding and muggle word alike is my responsibility to protect from Voldemort because I'm the only one who can. And Ginny this isn't just me with a hero complex or delusions of grandeur. Remember in my letter how I said that I know my future…well it's not just an educated guess. Remember the prophecy, well I've heard it, Dumbledore was there when it was made and he told me what it said. It basically said that I'm the only one that can kill Voldemort. It's basically him or me, one of us will kill the other. If I fail and he kills me, that's it. It's over. He wins and nobody will be able to stop him."

Without realizing it he had begun speaking louder and faster as he continued. Ginny listened silently realizing he needed to get this out. "This stupid prophecy was made before I was even born and now it's all fallen to me and I don't even care, I don't feel anything one way or the other about it. I just know it and have accepted it. Good God Ginny shouldn't I feel something about it." He laughed cynically, "Did you know I don't even dream anymore, I can't even muster up an emotion in my sleep. What is a person if they can't feel? Is that even human? AM I EVEN HUMAN?"

The color started rising in his face as he started to yell. "Is my only purpose on this planet to fight Voldemort? Are the gods just using me as some gigantic tool? Why did they pick me? What did I do to deserve going though all of this? Why was I chosen to suffer? Why is it that it is my mere existence that has caused so much pain and death and loss to revolve around me? WHY ME?"

He stopped shouting and placed his face in his hands. Ginny didn't know what to do or what to say. She sat there watching Harry as she tried to process all of this new information.

"I'm scared," he said this quietly into his hands, it was a revelation even to himself. "I don't want to die." He looked at Ginny and she met his gaze. "I don't want anyone else that I love to die." She saw him starting to tear up. She held out her arms and he came to her, kneeling in the sand with his head resting in her lap as she embraced him.

"I don't want this power any more, I don't want this responsibility. I didn't ask for it and I want to give it back." He began to sob in earnest now, finally the wall he had put up to block his emotions fell, resulting in him feeling everything that had pent up over the past month at once.

Ginny didn't say anything but stroked his hair as she held him while he sobbed, her own silent tears falling right along with his. He cried for a long time, but Ginny realized he wasn't just crying for himself, but for his parents, for Sirius and for everyone else that Voldemort had harmed and for everyone he has yet to harm.

It was at least half an hour before Harry calmed down enough that she felt she could speak.

"Harry," she lifted his face so that he was looking at her and she gently wiped away his tears with her sleeve. "Are you okay?"

"It hurts so bad that I can barely breathe." Ginny looked into his eyes, all of his barriers were gone and she felt that if she looked long enough she would be able to see right down to his soul. "I just want to block it all out again."

"You can't do that Harry, you said it yourself, if you can't feel then you're not alive. I know you don't want this responsibility, but you have it and there is nothing we can do about that now. But you were given this power for a reason. Harry you are special, and I not talking about your natural Quidditch ability, or your innate talent for defense against the dark arts, although that certainly helps. Harry you are different, you are touched, and I'm not talking about this," her thumb brushed against his scar. "I'm talking about this," she placed her hand on his chest. "Harry your gift is your heart. You have an amazing capacity for love and compassion. And people respond to this and love you back. Harry if you block your ability to feel pain then you block your ability to feel love. So you cannot forget how to feel," these words were pouring out of her. She didn't know where they were coming from, but she knew they were right.

"There is a reason you always come out of situations the hero. That's why you were chosen to defeat Voldemort, that's what you have that he doesn't, the ability to love and be loved. You were chosen, because you can win."

"What if you're wrong? What if I can't? What if I fail?" These fears escaped him in a whisper.

Ginny stood up brought Harry with her. She looked at him squarely in the eyes and told him, "Harry James Potter, you are going to win because I believe in you."

Harry searched her face and found nothing but complete and utter sincerity. And in that moment, he believed her. He was so touched that he could do nothing but pull her into a hug. After a minute they broke apart and sat in silence on their respective swings. Both were lost in thought, both thinking of the event that had just transpired.

As it got dark Ginny realized that she should have been home hours ago and she jumped out of the swing. "I have to go home!"

Harry was startled out of his thoughts and also rose so he could walk her back to Mrs. Figg's, "Oh my god! I'm so sorry, are you going to get in trouble? I'm sorry this is all my fault. You shouldn't have done this for me."

Ginny stopped in her tracks. "Harry, absolutely nothing could happen that would make me regret coming here today. I'm not sorry and you shouldn't be either. And don't worry about me getting in trouble," she smiled slyly, "I'll figure something out."

They had reached Mrs. Figg's and before Ginny stepped into the fire Harry called out to her.

"Ginny…Thank you." She stopped, turned and smiled. "Oh and if you wouldn't mind…"

"Don't worry nobody will know that I was here today or what we talked about, that was private and just between us." It was Harry's turn to smile at her. Right before she stepped into the fire she turned to say, home." And before his eyes she was gone.

Harry walked back to Number Four and was grateful not to run into anyone on the way upstairs. He lay in bed exhausted, both emotionally and physically from the day's events. His last thought before he feel asleep was Ginny saying that she believed in him. And with that he was asleep and he dreamt for the first time in over a month.

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A/N Wow that was a long one, I hope you guys liked it! I know it was kinda angsty and that's not really my thing, but don't worry things start looking up next chapter. Please review and tell me what you like and dislike…and just a tidbit of information I read and review for anyone who reviews mine…Love Always

A/N Anyone who can point out the Jimmy Stewart reference and puts it into a review, gets 50 points and a preview of chapter four…

REVISED 4/18/12


	4. Contemplations

A/N I just wanted to thank all of you guys who have been reviewing...it really means a lot to me because this is really the first creative writing stuff i have done so I'm not very confident with it... the good feedback really makes me want to keep going...so here's chapter 4 with some much needed humor in my opinion...so i hope you enjoy it

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Ginny stepped out of the fireplace cautiously. Luckily the living room was dark and empty so there was nobody to witness her return. _Now if I can just make it to my room. _She thought as she crossed over to the door leading to the hallway. She paused and listened and upon hearing silence she slowly ventured out into the hall. She froze when she heard voices, but quickly realized they were coming from the kitchen. She held her breath as she made her way over to the stairs.

Unfortunately however, she caught her foot on the edge of the rug and tripped hitting her elbow on the wall on the way down, causing a loud reverberating bang to travel down the long hall. She sat on the edge of the first stair clutching her elbow. She had hit her funny bone and simultaneously had shooting pains going from her elbow to her fingers while her whole arm went numb. _When did I become as clumsy as Tonks?_

The kitchen door slammed open.

"Where have you been all day!"

"Damn."

"What was that young lady!"

"Nothing Mum, how are you this fine evening?"

"Don't even think that you are going to charm your way out of this one. I go to look for you for tea and you were gone! You weren't in your room, you weren't outside, you weren't any where. You didn't leave a note or tell anyone you were going and with everything that's going on in the world how could you sneak off like that. When you didn't come home for dinner I was worried sick. You could have been killed and nobody would have known!"

Ginny looked at the kitchen door and saw the twins peaking their heads out to listen. _Of course they would choose today to come over for dinner. Well there goes the excuse that I was with them._

"Now I want you to tell me exactly where you have been all day and it had better be good."

"I had to do something, I had to see someone." Ginny replied being purposely vague.

"You snuck off to see Dean didn't you," Ron demanded.

Ginny spun around spotting him at the top of the stairs in time to see Hermione smack him on the shoulder. _I'm gathering quite an audience_.

"Ronald you stay out of this," Molly ordered never taking her eyes off of Ginny. "Did you sneak out to see Dean?"

"No mother I did not go see my boyfriend. I would have just asked you if it was that." _I probably shouldn't have said that. Well Ginny just stay calm and get yourself out of here. _"It was just a friend that needed me. I know you wouldn't have let me go if I had asked but it was important so I just went. I'm sorry I worried you, I had meant to get home before dinner but I lost track of time. Now I'm really tired and I'm not in the mood to get yelled at so I'm going to bed and you can finish yelling at me in the morning."

With that she turned and walked calmly up the stairs, brushing past Ron and Hermione, leaving her mother and the other Weasley children in shock. In the history of seven children not one of them had simply walked out in the middle of getting yelled at. Everyone knew that Ginny could be fiery and they might have expected her to be defensive or get angry and yell back, but to just walk away was just not like her. None of her older brothers had simply shut their mother down like that.

Mrs. Weasley recovered her voice right before Ginny reached her room. "Don't even think about leaving that room until you are ready to tell me where you were all day!"

"Then I'll see you when school starts," Ginny called back downstairs, as she closed the door behind her.

She lay on her bed emotionally and physically exhausted after the day's events, but she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep. She still had to process everything that had happened.

She groaned when she heard Ron and Hermione bickering quietly outside the door. Ron wanted to barge in and demand to know who she was with. Hermione said she needed space and that she would tell them when she was ready. Ginny gave a silent thanks to her best friend as she heard Ron stomp off and Hermione's shoes click after him.

Ginny was now alone with only her thoughts to occupy her. She wasn't sure exactly how to feel about everything. She laid there for hours reliving the afternoon trying to process everything, when she heard the door open.

She pretended to be asleep when Hermione finally came in and got ready for bed and went to sleep herself. About the time that she heard Hermione's quiet snoring indicating that she was asleep, her stomach began to growl and she remembered she hadn't eaten since the scones at Mrs. Figg's house.

She tiptoed downstairs to the kitchen to get something to eat. A glance at clock told her it was almost 1:30 in the morning. She knew exactly what she wanted. Rummaging through the freezer and cupboards to get all the necessary ingredients, she combined everything in a large bowl, grabbed a spoon and dug in.

She looked up guiltily when the kitchen door swung open. But she was relived when it was not her mother but Lupin, who had been living atGimmauld Placesince Sirius was no longer around to hold down the fort.

"What are you eating?" he questioned, peering into the bowl at her concoction.

"It's vanilla ice cream with caramel syrup, marshmallow fluff and cookie dough mixed in with whipped cream on top. It's the perfect comfort food which is exactly what I need at the moment." Ginny always felt comfortable talking to her former professor. He never seemed to judge. "Besides, since I won't be out of my room tomorrow I figured that I should probably take advantage and eat something now."

"Ahhh… yes." he said vaguely.

"I take it you know what happened?" she asked, one eyebrow raised.

"I was in here when you came home," he revealed. "It was rather hard to miss."

"Yeah, well I don't regret what I did," she suddenly felt defensive. "But I met with this person in strictest confidence and I won't betray his trust. So they can think or say whatever they want, I made a promise and I'm not going to budge."

"Well I think that speaks highly of you character." He paused for a moment as if unsure whether to go on. "Is he okay?"

Ginny looked at her ex professor and could tell that he knew exactly who she had spent her afternoon with.

"Does everyone else know too?"

"I think that people have their suspicions, but, and I'll deny this if asked later, I think it might be your best bet to continue to not say anything. If you admit to your mother that her little girl went all the way to Little Whinging by herself for a visit with the boy who is Voldemort's number one target, she might have an attack. And everyone else would be relentless in wanting to know exactly what you guys talked about." He rose to leave, "I think that for now, denial is the best policy. Well I'm going to bed and once you finish that rather enormous bowl of ice cream you should do the same. And you might want to consider something that doesn't have quite so much sugar."

He was halfway out the door before Ginny spoke. "He wasn't okay…But I hope that things will start to get better now."

He paused for a moment, nodded and continued his way upstairs.

By the time she finished her ice cream, she was practically nodding off in her bowl. She quickly rinsed out her bowl and stuck it in the sink. On her way out of the kitchen, she took Lupin's suggestion and nicked a box of crackers for tomorrow. She tiptoed into her bed careful not to wake Hermione. She was already asleep before her head hit her pillow.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Ginny was sitting in her open window considering making a break for it. The only thing that was stopping her was that she knew that her mother would crucify her if she found her missing again. She was still tempted however, as she was practically climbing the walls from boredom.

True to her word she didn't leave her room since she wasn't going to say where she was that day. Four days had past and she had exhausted all means of keeping herself busy or entertained. Ginny thought she was desperate yesterday when she had resorted to finishing her summer homework. However, she now knew that real desperation is wishing Snape had assigned two essays like she did now.

She was hungry and was wondering when Hermione was going to bring her up her lunch as she was all her meals the past couple days.

The only good thing that came from being locked in solitary confinement is that she had plenty of time to thoroughly analyze and dissect every part of her afternoon with Harry. After much reflection she had come to a few conclusions.

At first she had been upset, it was hard to watch him going through all of that, she wanted to cry for him and she wished that she was able to take some of his pain for him. However she realized the time for tears had past. She realized that what was and what is can not be changed and the only thing that could be done is to move forward and deal with it.

When she had first started thinking about the new information Harry had told her she had been stunned by the prophecy. However once she thought about it, she realized that, in her mind at least, the prophecy didn't change anything. She had always known in her heart that Harry would be the one to defeat Voldemort. She was telling the truth when she said that she believed in him, because she truly did. She wasn't afraid of what would happen if Harry lost because she knew it wouldn't happen. In fact maybe the prophecy was a blessing in disguise because it proved that Harry really does have the power to defeat Voldemort.

So, it wasn't the prophecy that had Ginny concerned, it was Harry's mental and physical state. Although she didn't let him see it at the time, she had been shocked by his appearance. It was obvious by looking at him that he hadn't been sleeping or eating. He had a sallow look to his face and he had clearly lost a lot of weight. His skin had a transparency to it and he had dark circles under his eyes. Even his unruly hair which was usually sticking up in a million different directions seemed to be lying flat in defeat. She hoped that his emotional breakthrough would allow him to maybe start healing. But she just didn't know how he would be able to heal at the Dursley's, she hadn't even gotten an owl from him since her visit and she hoped he was okay.

There was only one thing that was puzzling Ginny from their conversation. What was their relationship now? _Are we friends, more than friends, not even friends? Well I guess we have to be at least friends because he picked me to open up to. Why did he pick me to talk to? I hope it's because he feels comfortable talking to me, unless it was only because I was convenient. And when he talked about protecting the ones he loved he looked at me as if he was including me in that category. But I what kind of way, as a friend, as his best friends little sister, as his own sister, or maybe more? Why am I even thinking that because he doesn't and even if he did, which he doesn't, he is in no state for a girlfriend and even if he was which he's not, I have a very nice boyfriend who likes me and I like him back. Besides I've been over him for years and I have no idea why I'm even thinking about this._ She didn't want to make an already complicated situation more complicated so she resolved to keep their relationship firmly at the friendship level. Nothing good could come out of doing anything else.

She groaned in frustration, she couldn't take this room anymore. She had one leg out the window when she was startled by some kind of commotion coming from downstairs. The noise startled her so badly that she almost fell head first out the window. She grabbed the window sill to balance herself, but she overcompensated and only succeeded in launching herself back into the room catching the cuff of her jeans on a nail sticking out of the window.

She laid there on the floor with one leg stuck straight in the air and the other draped over the window sill as she waited for the room to stop spinning from hitting her head on the hard wood floor. Once she stopped seeing stars she tried to release her leg and found to her dismay that she was quite stuck.

She groaned, _That is gunna leave a bump. Great I wonder who's gunna find me here first. I'm sure I must be a sight stuck here like this._

She groaned again when she heard some one open the door. _That must be Hermione with my lunch…how am I going to explain this one?_

Someone chuckled and it was definitely not Hermione. She twisted around in an effort to see who it was.

"Harry?…"

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A/N Hope you guys liked that one….tell me what you guys think okay….It seems like it might be moving kinda slow as I'm really going slow through the summer...but it will speed up once they get back to school …. I'm currently writing chapter 6 so five should be up soon, I just need to type it up…Love Always

REVISED 4/18/12


	5. Interrogations

A/N Here's chapter 5 as promised with some more Harry and Ginny action. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Yeah yeah…you guys know the routine….

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_Well I got all the way here, I might as well go inside._

Harry took a deep breath, picked up the end of his trunk and empty birdcage, and thought hard about Number 12 Grimmauld Place. When the building materialized, he walked up to the front door, took another deep breath and knocked.

When the door opened he was immediately pulled into the screeching arms of Mrs. Weasley. Her screams soon brought every other resident and guest of the house running into the foyer. They thought there was an attack or something from all the screaming that was going on.

As soon as they saw Harry, however Mrs. Weasley wasn't the only one yelling.

"What are you doing here?"

"How did you get here?"

"I thought you weren't going to come this summer?"

"Why are you so skinny?"

"Harry!"

"Did you finally snap and hex your cousin?"

Everybody was talking so loud and fast that Harry couldn't tell who was saying what, although he had a sneaking suspicion that that last comment came from one of the twins.

"Whoa… I'll answer all of your questions in a minute. But can I put my stuff upstairs first?" He looked around and noticed that a particular red head was missing. "Where's Ginny?"

"She's up in her room dear. Are you hungry? Well of course you are, you look famished. Ron go put Harry's things up in your room while I get Harry something to eat."

"No, it's okay," he interjected hastily, "I'll bring my stuff upstairs. But I would love a sandwich when I come down."

He lugged his trunk up the stairs and dropped it off in the room he always shared with Ron before he went to go find Ginny. He wanted her to know he was there, since she was the reason he was.

He opened the door to her room without knocking hoping to surprise her. But instead, he was greeted by a sight that surprised him.

"What happened to you?" he gasped as he tried to catch his breath. He laughing so hard he was seriously worried that he might wet himself.

"Would you stop laughing at me and get me down from here!" She demanded as her face turned an even brighter shade of scarlet as the blush from her embarrassment of being found like this, mixed with all the blood that had been rushing to her head from dangling upside down for the past ten minutes. "I'm getting a headache from being upside down so long."

"Why didn't you just take your pants off?" he asked practically as he worked to get her jeans untangled from the nail she was hooked on without ripping them.

"I… I, umm," she stuttered as she tried to come up with an answer. "I didn't even think of that," she admitted. "I blame them concussion I must have gotten when my head slammed into the floor!" she exclaimed defensively. "And did I mention this is all your fault!" she accused without any real venom behind her claim.

"And how is this my fault?" he asked with a laugh. He just couldn't help chuckling, the image she presented was just too amusing with one leg sticking straight in the air, the other dangling out the window. Her hair was splayed wildly over the floor with her face turning progressively redder then her hair.

"I'm glad you find this so hilarious," she grunted looking back up at Harry. He saw the irritated expression on her face, but could tell be the look in her eyes that deep down she to found her current predicament amusing.

She fell into a heap on the floor when Harry finally managed to dislodge her leg. She laid there for a moment until Harry grabbed her hands to help her up.

"I was going to make a break for it. I couldn't stand staring at these walls for another minute. I was half way out the window when a huge commotion, which I am assuming was _you_, startled me. I almost fell out the window, so to keep myself from plummeting head first to my death, I grabbed the sides to catch myself, but I over compensated, launching myself backwards. My pants got caught on that blasted nail and you saw what happened…" she finished trailing off.

"Oh, I see…" Harry said smiling, the image of Ginny hanging upside down burned into his memory. "But why were you going out the window in the first place?"

"Oh that… I'm kinda of grounded…" she explained, a chagrined look on her face. "Let's just say that I wasn't exactly as stealthy as I should have been when I came home the other night. I think this kind of thing is becoming a pattern." She said gesturing to the window. "And Mum wasn't exactly pleased, especially since I refused to say were I was or who I was with. So I haven't left the room since and I can't until I tell her."

"I'm so sorry Ginny, I didn't mean to get you in trouble…" he apologized, genuinely sorry.

"Harry, it's fine… I got myself in to trouble, not you. Besides you can make it up to me by not telling anyone what kind of state I was in when you found me, or that I was going to escape again, deal?"

"Deal," he smiled at her. "Well your mum is downstairs making me a late lunch and since they're going to find out now anyways will you join me? That is, if your hungry."

"I'm famished."

"Well then Grace," he opened the door with a grand sweeping gesture, a devilish smile on his face. "Shall we go."

Ginny glared, sighed, then laughed as she walked through the door he was holding open for her.

They laughed the whole way downstairs and whenever they thought they had themselves under control, one of them would start up again, infecting the other.

They were both laughing when Ginny opened the kitchen door. But as soon as she hit the threshold, she abruptly stopped talking and walking, causing Harry to smack right into her back.

"Why did you…" he didn't need to finish his question when he saw very clearly why she had stopped.

Over Ginny's shoulder he spotted what looked to be half of the Order members, including Lupin, Tonks, Shacklebolts, Moody, and the twins, as well as Ron, Hermione, and of course Mrs. Weasley.

"Ummm, are we interrupting something?" inquired Harry.

Everyone was silent for a moment.

"Maybe I'll just wait for tomorrow to become ungrounded, ya know start off the day fresh." Ginny turned around to leave but Harry stayed her with a hand on her wrist.

"No. _Aren't you hungry_?" he asked, the question laden with meaning.

Ginny looked at Harry who hoped that she saw in his face the real reason he wanted her to stay. He knew he was up for an interrogation and he really needed the moral support right now.

She gave Harry a slight nod and turned to face the crowd. "So what's for lunch?" she asked casually walking towards the table. Fred and George parted giving Ginny room to walk. Harry followed in Ginny's wake and sat down at the table next to her. Both of them were hungry despite the heavy vibe in the room, and eagerly took the sandwiches Mrs. Weasley offered.

Harry concentrated on his sandwich trying to ignore the fact that everyone was staring at them not saying anything. He could feel Ginny shifting uncomfortably next to him and he figured that she felt the same way. After finishing his third sandwich he couldn't take the tension anymore. They were all just sitting there watching him eat as if they some kind of animal on display at theLondonzoo.

"Are you guys really this unhappy to see me or are you going to say hello?" he asked chuckling nervously.

Hermione was the first to speak. "Harry it's not that we are unhappy to see you, because we are glad you're here. It's just a surprise is all. We thought that you had decided to stay at the Dursley's all summer. I think that we all have so any questions that we don't know where to start."

He sighed, this was the moment he was not looking forward to, "Well ask away. I guess you guys deserve an explanation. I'll answer as many as I can."

He slid his chair back from the table and folded his hands on his lap. He was surprised, but grateful when Ginny inconspicuously reached over and squeezed his wrist reassuringly. He looked at Ginny, who gave him a small smile before taking her hand back.

"Harry, how did you get here?" Ron asked the first question.

"I took a taxi."

"Where did you get the muggle money to pay for it?" Tonks asked.

"I went to Gringotts yesterday after I decided to leave the Dursley's."

"You went to Diagon Alley by yourself, then came here by yourself. You could have been captured or killed and we wouldn't have known. You could have been followed here today for all we know!" Moody yelled at Harry.

"Nobody knew I was going yesterday so they wouldn't have been ready for me. And that's also why I took muggle transportation. The cab driver had no idea who I was or where I was going, I was just another passenger. One with a very large empty birdcage which he thought was odd, but that's it. And don't worry I knew before I came that nothing was going to happen."

"Why are you here? Not that we mind, it's like Hermione said, it's just we weren't expecting you," Fred questioned.

"Because it's better then the Dursley's," Harry shrugged. "I don't know who was happier this morning when I told them I was leaving and never coming back."

"I thought you had to go every year?" George asked. "Isn't that what someone said?" he asked looking to his twin for confirmation who just shrugged.

"I don't really see the point of going next year is all." Harry replied enigmatically.

"Why are you here Harry?" Lupin asked again.

"I'm pretty sure I already answered that one."

"No, I mean what changed your mind?" Lupin pressed. "Like Hermione said, we thought that you were going to stay at the Dursley's all summer."

Harry hesitated for a minute, giving a significant glance to Ginny, "I had a visit from a friend a couple days ago who showed me the error of my ways."

Everyone turned to look at Ginny, now knowing where she had been. Which really only confirmed what they all had assumed. No one spoke and Harry thought they were done.

Everyone was a little startled when Hermione spoke again. "Why did you want to stay away from us all summer?" her voiced was twinged with hurt.

Harry looked down at his hands which were still clasped in his lap. He didn't mean to hurt her feelings, it wasn't anything that they had done.

"Umm…" he looked up at Ginny. He knew that she had kept her promise and not told anyone what he had confessed to her. She nodded at him and smiled reassuringly. "It was nothing personal against you guys, I promise you that…" he could sense Ginny holding her breath next to him, wondering how he was going to answer, "But umm…. I don't think I'm quite ready to answer that just yet."

He knew that nobody was satisfied with that answer, but he was done answering questions for now. "If you guys don't mind I think I'll go unpack and maybe take a nap." With that Harry stood to leave, everyone getting out of his way to give him a clear path to the door.

As he was leaving the room everyone else made to get back to whatever they were doing before he had arrived.

"I think I'm going to go outside and get some air." Harry heard Ginny get up to leave.

As he reached the hall he frowned at Mrs. Weasley's reply, "I don't think so missy…we have to have a chat."

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Harry was awoken by a tapping. At first he thought it was Hedwig with the mail and he was shuffling over to the window to open it before he remembered that he wasn't even at the Dursley's anymore. He was disoriented for a minute as his head unfogged and he realized the tapping was coming from the door, not the window.

The door opened slowly. "Hey it's me. Are you awake Harry?" Ginny popped her head through the crack in the door.

"Oh, hey Ginny. I just woke up."

She stepped into the room and closed the door quietly behind her. "Dinner is going to be ready soon and I just wanted to give you a heads up. I think it's going to be a crowd tonight but Mum warned them not to push you to talk about stuff unless you volunteer it."

"Okay, thanks." He remembered Mrs. Weasley's comment to her after lunch, "What did your mum want to talk to you about?"

She chuckled, "Oh…. She just wanted to let me know that she was still mad at me for running off all by myself without telling any one and how I could have been killed or kidnapped et cetera, et cetera, and if I ever pull another stunt like that again she will personally make sure nobody will ever find my body. I'm also never to show the kind of attitude I displayed by refusing to tell her where I was again, but… if I was able to convince you to come home, then she was glad I did."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief, "So you're not in trouble anymore?"

She giggled, "No Harry, I can come out of my room now." She turned to leave, "But I'm glad you showed up today because I don't know how much longer I could have lasted."

"Wait… Ginny?" She turned, one hand still on the door knob. "Thanks for everything, it really means a lot to me."

"Don't mention it Harry, it was nothing-"

"No Ginny, it was everything."

She smiled, "See you downstairs for dinner?"

"Yeah."

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A/N Did you guys enjoy that one? I hope you did…. I'm having a little bit of trouble with chapter 6, I have already written it twice and I still hate it so it might be a little bit of a longer wait….but if you need a fix check out my other story Just Married….Kinda. I wrote 3 chapters in one afternoon for that one so those updates should go quick while I'm working out the kinks in this story. Oh and for you Ron/Hermione shippers the next chapter is for you…..Love Always

I also wanted to take the time and really thank all of you reviewers….the good and constructive feedback you guys have been giving me really inspires me to write faster…so thanks again…..

REVISED 4/18/12


	6. Birthdays Part 1

A/N All the chapters so far have been alternating between one persons POV to the other… I thought we could mix it up this time around and see what both of them are thinking….tell me which way you guys like better….Hope you enjoy chapter 6….

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"Your move Harry."

"You're so going down."

"I'm just going easy on you because it's your birthday."

"I don't think so Ms. Weasley." Harry teased back as he took her brook with his knight. He watched her as she flipped her hair over her shoulder and nibbled on her bottom lip, contemplating her next move.

As he watched her he absently thought about how since he arrived, they had been spending a lot of time together. One reason was because Ron and Hermione's fighting had reached an all time new high. They didn't even bother to wait to resolve one fight before they would move on to a new one. So inevitably he had been spending time with Ginny just to avoid listening to or refereeing them or the worst, when they tried to drag him into the middle of it. The other reason he had been hanging out with her was because frankly, he just wanted to. They had formed a bond that day in the park and though neither of them had talked about it since the night he had arrived, they seemed to have an unspoken understanding between them. It was nice to have someone who knew some of his secrets, it took some of the weight off his shoulders. Ginny seemed to understand him and he felt comfortable with her, he was quickly becoming to think of her as one of his best friends.

"Ahh…check," she smiled smugly at Harry, who frowned as he stared at the pieces.

Ginny thought about the changes in him since the day she had gone to see him. Thanks to her mother's cooking, he was quickly gaining the weight he had lost during his self appointed seclusion at the Dursley's and some sleep had done him well. But it was the change in his disposition that she was happiest to see. He was now able to express a healthy amount of emotion without having extreme outbursts. Most of the time he was a fairly happy normal Harry, but at the same time she knew he was still deeply grieving for Sirius. She knew for example, that he would occasionally sneak up and spend time with Buckbeak, but she didn't let on that she was aware, as she knew that he needed time to mourn the closest thing he had ever had to a parent. She also didn't mention anything about the far away look in his eyes that he got some times. Sometimes Ginny had a strange feeling that there were times that Harry knew something that nobody else could, something that he wasn't telling her. She didn't know what it was exactly that made her think this, but she did. There was just something about the way he looked when he thought nobody was watching him, that she couldn't put her finger on.

She was pondering this fact when a very red Ron burst into the room, followed by an exceedingly irritated Hermione.

"Ronald Weasley, don't you walk away from me when I'm talking to you!"

"And here we go," Harry said lowly, so only Ginny could hear him, not bothering to look of from the game.

Ron turned on her, "Fine, but you weren't talking to me. Yell, nag, bother, bug, scold, pester, harass, badger, or otherwise irritate me, maybe, but you were definitely not talking to me!"

"And Ron has apparently discovered a thesaurus," Ginny replied in the same sotto voice.

"How dare you say that to me! I'm only trying to help you. But if you are too blind to see that, along with everything else that is sitting in front of your face, then maybe I should just stop talking to you all together!"

Ron started yelling something back but neither of them were paying any attention to Ron and Hermione as they had already expended any and all interest in what they were bickering about. They would have been more likely to have paid attention if they had not been fighting.

"Check mate," Harry proclaimed with a proud sort of grunt.

Ginny scanned the board, he was right. With a sigh she said, "Come on I can't listen to that anymore," as she gestured to Ron and Hermione. "It's a gorgeous day out, we should go enjoy it."

With that she made her way to the back door motioning for Harry to follow her. She sat on the steps of the back porch and kicked off her shoes so she could feel the grass beneath her feet.

Harry sat down next to her, "I think, Ginny my dear, that you are going to owe me ten chocolate frogs."

"Well Harry my dear, my birthday is only eleven days away and at this rate neither of us are going to win."

They were referring to the bet the two of them had made on when Ron and Hermione were finally going to breakdown and admit that they had it bad for one another. Ginny had said by Harry's birthday, where as he had said by Ginny's.

"To be honest, I was sort of hoping that you would win because they are driving me utterly and completely bonkers," Harry stated as he rubbed his temples, "they give me a headache."

"That's why you need to have special quiet places." Ginny told him as he looked at her questioningly, "trust me with six older brothers, I have learned to find them where ever I go. I haven't shown you my tree yet have I?"

Harry shook his head.

"Well then, lets go," she stood up and stretched, reaching her hands high above her head. "I know you're fast in the air but how are you on the ground?"

With that she took off running towards the woods that started at the edge of the backyard. She loved the feeling of her hair streaming out behind her and twigs snapping beneath her bare feet as she dodged between trees. When she finally reached her destination she had to lean heavily against its trunk so she could catch her breath. She looked back and saw Harry running to catch up.

"How can there be woods in the back yard if we are in the middle ofLondon?" He questioned as too he caught his breath.

Ginny laughed that infectious laugh of hers, "Must be magic," she teased. She turned around and began to expertly scale the tree.

Harry watched her climb for a minute. Ginny was right, it was an extraordinary tree. It was mammoth, the trunk must have been at least eight feet across and some of the largest branches must have been four feet around. The lowest branches were low enough to scale easily and the highest must have been at last 25 feet in the air.

She was already six feet off the ground when she turned around, "Well, are you coming?" When she got to her favorite branch, she nestled herself into the grove that was just her size and watched as Harry sat himself on an adjacent branch.

"So what do you think of my tree? I like to come up here to think, this was one of the first places I found here that I could go to be by myself."

"Do you have other places you go?"

"I have a bunch of places at the Burrow, but here, I also like to go up to the roof."

"The roof, really? How do you get up there?"

"By climbing out the window, but that's usually my spot for when I'm mad or upset. I like to come up here to think or to write letters to people. I wrote some of your letters up here."

Harry liked the idea of Ginny sitting up here when she was writing her letters to him. "Who else did you write to up here?"

"Mostly you and Dean of course."

_Of course she wrote Dean, he **is** her boyfriend. Why do I care? It's not like it makes any difference to me. I don't know why, but I don't like the idea of her writing letters to him in the same place where she wrote me. I almost feel like he is encroaching on our experience here together. I'm just being dumb…we're just friends, if anything it would be me encroaching on them._

Ginny looked at Harry curiously, he had an odd expression on his face and she couldn't tell what he was thinking. It had started when she had mentioned Dean, but she couldn't figure out why that would bother him.

"So how does it feel to be 16? Are you looking forward to your party tonight?" Ginny asked, wanting to wipe off that look on his face.

"Yeah, although it's too bad that Lupin won't be able to make it," Harry shrugged.

"What? He was talking about it this morning at breakfast, he said he wouldn't miss it."

"He had to go on an important Order mission."

"Oh..." Ginny was still confused, but she decided not to pursue it.

"So, what did you get me?" he asked nonchalantly. He had been trying to get her to tell him ever since she let it slip that she had already gotten his present.

"You really think I'm going to tell you?" she laughed at him, "Give me more credit than that Potter, besides you'll find out in a few hours."

They sat there for awhile talking about nothing in particular when Ginny realized that it was starting to get late. "We had probably head back if we want to get cleaned up before everyone gets here."

Harry nodded in agreement and waited for Ginny to start her climb down, and jump the last five feet or so. He watched in horror as she cried out in pain and fell to the ground.

He scrambled down as quickly as possible, "Ginny, are you all right!"

He was relieved when she started swearing up a storm. At least he knew she wasn't too badly injured.

"Bloody hell," she groaned as she clutched her foot. "I think I landed on something. Oh I can't look," she held up her foot up to him, "Harry what did I do to myself?"

It was hard to tell as there was blood everywhere. Then he saw it, a huge splinter, no it was more of a sharp stick was sticking out of the arch of her foot, and it looked like it had gone in deep.

"It doesn't look good. We should get you back to the house and get Tonks to get that out since Aurors get medi wizard training, because I don't want to try and get that out myself." He went to go pick her up but she protested. "You don't really think you are going to walk all the way back to the house on that foot do you?" he asked sternly.

She didn't reply but she let Harry pick her up.

"Damn this hurts," Ginny muttered. "But I guess this is what I get for jumping out of a tree barefoot."

"Well at least I was there to help you," Harry stated as he started walking back towards the house.

Suddenly Ginny started giggling.

"What's so funny?"

She had a mischievous look on her face until she flung her arms around his neck and planted a wet kiss on his cheek. "Oh Harry Potter, you're my hero!" she squealed.

"Augg…Ginny, do you want me to drop you and watch you hop the rest of the way to the house?" he asked. "Because I'll do it, don't test me."

Ginny put on a mock pout, event though they both knew he had no intention of following through on his threat. "Fine, I'll be good."

They were almost to the house when Harry saw Mrs. Weasley look out the kitchen window just in time to see him carrying a badly bleeding Ginny onto the porch.

"Damn. Why couldn't we have seen Tonks first?" Ginny grumbled at the sky.

"What happened to you, are you okay!" Molly shouted before she was even out of the house.

"I'm fine Mum, I just stepped on something that I need to get taken out. I'm just lucky that Harry was there to rescue me," she added that last part while looking at Harry, that mischievous glint back in her eyes.

Harry just sighed and rolled his eyes, "Is Tonks around?"

"Did I hear somebody say my name?" Tonks asked walking onto the back porch. "Ginny what did you do?" she asked spotting her foot.

"She thought that jumping out of a tree barefoot would be a good idea." Harry said repaying her for the hero comments.

"Geez Ginny, when did you become as clumsy as me?"

"I've been wondering the same thing," she said with a grimace as Tonks worked on her foot.

"Oy, Harry" Tonks said, suddenly remembering something. "I'm sorry but Lupin got an owl about 20 minutes ago and had to leave on urgent Order business and I don't know if he will be able to get back in time for your party. I'm really sorry, you know that he wanted to be here for it."

"It's alright." Harry said graciously. "I understand."

Ginny gave him a curious glance. _How did he know that Lupin wouldn't be able to make it if he only got called away 20 minutes ago and we have been outside for over an hour?_

"OWW!"

"There…got it!"

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Ginny had been sitting by herself on the couch watching with mild interest as the twins tried to persuade Mundungus to eat something, what was the question, when Harry came over and sat down next to her.

"How's your foot feeling?"

"It's alright," she shrugged, flexing the foot in question in a quick assessment, "a little sore, but I think I'll live. How are you enjoying your party?"

"I'm having a good time, but I think I ate too much cake, I'm feeling a little queasy," he admitted, rubbing his belly. "But I can't wait to try out some of the stuff Fred and George gave me next year at school."

Ginny laughed, "Just as long as you don't try any of that stuff on me."

"I won't," he promised with a grin, before surveying the room for a minute. "Do you notice anything weird about Ron and Hermione?"

"What besides the fact that they're not fighting?" she joked. However a look from Harry told her that that was exactly what he meant. "Maybe they decided to be good for your party."

"Well it's not just the fact that they aren't fighting, they're not even looking at each other," he pointed out. "And it's not just an 'I'm mad at you, silent treatment' kind of way."

Ginny watched Ron and Hermione for a couple minutes and saw that he was right. Neither of them seemed angry, but they were as far away from each other as was possible and still technically be in the same room. And when she thought about it, they had been like that all through dinner too.

"What do you think is up with them?" Harry wondered.

"I haven't the faintest," she said with a shrug, "but I'll try and talk to Hermione tonight and see if she will tell me what's up. Why don't you see if you can get anything out of Ron."

Harry nodded and watched Ginny pull a small package out of her pocket.

"I didn't want to give this to you in front of everybody, so here," she explained as she shyly as she handed the gift over. She watched his expression carefully as he opened her present and pulled out a silver chain with a silver lightning bolt charm on it. "I thought it was time for you to start celebrating what makes you different, you know part of what makes you special. Oh and I have the mate." She pulled a similar chain out from under her shirt except hers was a silver circle with a lighting shape cut out of it. "I know it's kind of silly," she muttered, her cheeks turning pink, "but I thought that they could kind of be like friendship necklaces or something."

"No, it's not silly," he interjected quickly. "It's perfect, I love it," he assured her already pulling the chain over his head before reaching reached across the couch to give her a hug.

As he hugged her he couldn't help but notice that she smelled like cinnamon. They pulled apart quickly when they were startled by a loud *crack*. Looking for the source of the sound they quickly noticed, as it would be rather hard to miss, that there was a giant octopus where Mundungus had been standing a moment before and the twins looked quite pleased with themselves.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"So…. Is there something going on between you and Ron?" Ginny casually asked Hermione as she got her PJs out of her drawer.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked defensively.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"I just mean that it seemed like there was some stuff between the two of you guys tonight." Harry mentioned as he put his presents away.

"What? No stuff, there wasn't any stuff because there was no reason for stuff because there is nothing going on between us. I mean besides that fact that we're friends but that's it…." Ron stuttered.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Are you sure because it seemed to me that there was some definite tension going on tonight," Ginny pressed.

"No, I told you…okay maybe something weird did happen this afternoon. But if I tell you, you have to _promise_ not to say anything."

Ginny crossed her heart with her hairbrush.

"Okay…" Hermione took a deep breath. "You know this afternoon, how Ron and I were fighting when you and Harry left. Well we were both yelling at one another, right in each others faces, when all of the sudden he got all quiet and I thought he was going to explode and hit me or something and then all of the sudden he just grabbed me and kissed me….and the next thing I knew I was kissing him back."

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"You kissed her!"

"I know!" Ron threw himself face down onto Harry's bed, his voice muffled as he spoke into the mattress. "I don't know what happened to me. One minute I was so mad I could have socked her and the next minute we were snogging. I don't know what to do, what if she hates me now?"

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Now I don't know what to do. It's so awkward now…."

"Well there is only one thing that matters now."

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"What?"

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Did you like it?"

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Yes"

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Of course I did."

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Then tell him."

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Then you need to tell her that."

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Harry practically sprinted down the hall to the bathroom to wait for Ginny, but when he opened the door she was already sitting on the counter, grinning and waiting for him.

"You owe me ten chocolate frogs."

"Now the bet was that they were going to get together before my birthday, and they not officially together and today is my birthday not before.

"Well they kissed today and I say that counts for getting together and we never made clear whether today counted or not, I think that you are just trying to get out of paying up," she accused playfully as she started brushing her teeth.

"Alright, alright, how about we each get each other five chocolate frogs, okay?"

"Deal," Ginny agreed laughing as she handed Harry the toothpaste and spit into the sink. "But I still won."

* * *

A/N Did you like this format better or should I switch back to the single POV? Next time Birthdays Part 2 Ginny's Birthday….

REVISED 4/19/12


	7. Birthdays Part 2

A/N It seemed to me that the overwhelming response was that you guys liked the split POV better, so I'm going to oblige with your requests…..thank you guys for all the opinions cause I probably would have gone back to the single….. So I think I'm going to do a slip POV when they are together and single when they are apart……In case you guys didn't figure it out in the last chapter, "xxxxx" means that it is happening at the same time just a switch of POV where as "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" means time has elapsed….. Well here is chapter 7 I hope you all enjoy……

* * *

Ginny was standing in front of her dresser trying to decide what to wear for the day when she heard the door open and someone walk into the room. She turned expecting it to be Hermione, who had just left, coming back to for something she had forgotten. Instead it was Harry, and a very red Harry she noted.

_Why is he so red?_ She looked down at herself _Oh…that's why._

She realized that she was wearing, well, not much of anything. What she was wearing was khaki green boy cut underwear and a lacy, but thankfully not see through, black bra.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know….I just thought…umm…"

"Good Gods Harry would you learn to knock! I could have been completely starkers for all you knew," she yelled , causing Harry to turn an even deeper shape of scarlet.

"Yeah I'm so sorry… I didn't realize… I just came to tell you… well to ask you… that is I…" he stuttered never taking his eyes off her.

"Harry?"

"What?" he asked his eyes snapping up to hers.

"Would you mind!" she asked gesturing to the door.

"Oh!" he exclaimed as he quickly shuffled out the door. He was about to close the door when he turned and popped his head back in. "I'm really am sorry about - "

"Harry!"

"Sorry…" he muttered as he shut the door behind him.

Ginny was angry at first, as she finished getting dressed but after a moment she started laughing. _The look on his face when he walked in here was priceless. I think that he might have been even more shocked then I was. It's a good thing I'm comfortable with my body or I might have to kill him. But I wonder what he was so eager to tell me?_

She debated with herself on what to do with Harry and she weighed her options. She could go show him the patented Weasley temper and then ignore him for the rest of the day, but then she wouldn't get to find out why he had been so eager to talk to her in the first place. Or she could go make fun of him and embarrass him sufficiently enough that he would never want to do it again and she could still find out what he wanted. Her curiosity won out over her temper and she decided on her second option.

xxxxx

Harry ran back to his room and put a pillow over his head thinking that maybe if he smothered himself he wouldn't have to face Ginny again. _I am such a git! I can not believe I just barged in without knocking. And then I just stood there staring at her in her underwear and bumbling like a complete and utter idiot. But she did look awfully good in her underwear… Oh gods why am I thinking about it, it's Ginny! She's one of my best friends, she's like the sister I never had, she's Ron's sister…Ron, he would kill me if he knew what happened or what I'm thinking now._

"Hey Harry," she said in her best attempt of a sexy voice.

Harry heard Ginny announcing herself from the door and groaned inwardly.

"Hey," he answered with his head still under the pillow causing his voice to sound far away, even to himself.

"Are you going to come out from under there?" Ginny asked. Harry could hear her heals clicking over to the bed.

"No."

"What, you don't want another free show?"

"No!"

"Didn't you like it?

"No!"

"Am I too much woman for you?"

"Oh Gods Ginny! Please leave me alone!" he cried from beneath the pillow. He was so embarrassed and was blushing so hard that he wouldn't have been surprised if his hair had turned red.

Ginny laughed figuring he had suffered enough and climbed on to the bed and sat on his stomach. "Come on, now you're just being silly," she teased as she tried to pry the pillow out of his hands and off his head. "So, are you going to tell me what was so important that you felt the need march into my room unannounced, or am I going to have to tickle you out from under there."

That got his attention, "Alright," he relented "just get off."

She obligingly shifted her weight so he was able to slide out from between her legs. Once he sat up, she sat cross-legged at the foot of the bed looking at him expectantly.

"Gin, I really am sorry about umm… walking in on you like that," he mumbled unable to look her in the eye.

"It's alright Harry…Just don't do it again or I may be forced to hurt you," she said sternly. She paused for a moment and took pity on him before she spoke again. "You consider me a friend right?"

Harry was confused, was this a trick question? "Of course, one of my best."

"Then lets just consider it 'getting to know me better,'" she said using air quotes.

They both laughed and Harry was relieved that she was forgiving him and was willing to make a joke of it.

"So, why did you feel the need to 'get to know me better' this morning?"

"I wanted to take you on your birthday present, you didn't think I forgot about you yesterday did you?" he explained eager to be able to change the subject.

"I didn't know, I wasn't going to say anything," Ginny shrugged. "Okay maybe I was a little hurt yesterday at my party, but I figured that there was a reason." She sat thinking for a moment, "Wait what did you mean _take me_ on my birthday present?"

"I, am taking you out to lunch, just you and me. Weren't you just saying the other day that you had to get out of the house."

"Of course I would love to get out of the house for the day, but we can't do that, it's not safe to be running around, plus everybody would kill us and you know it," Ginny stated sensibly.

"Don't worry, I promise nothing bad is going to happen today and if it makes you feel better we can stay in Muggle London so we don't have to worry about being recognized. It will be fun, we can walk around, have a bite to eat and do what ever else we feel like doing," Harry persuaded.

"But my mother will kill me if I just take off without telling anyone again," Ginny protested.

"I already took care of that," Harry reassured her. "Now come on, don't you trust me?"

Ginny looked at him with one eyebrow raised as she evaluated the situation. She knew that she should really stay put, but she wanted so badly to get back out into the real world and Harry made it sound so appealing. After a moment her sense of adventure and mischief won over her better judgment and she had made up her mind, "Alright, let's go."

"Great, come on. Ron and Hermione snuck off about half an hour ago so we have a good twenty minutes before they resurface for air and everybody else is finishing breakfast, so if we move quickly, we should be able to get out of the house unnoticed." Harry explained as he walked out of the room motioning for her to follow.

"Wait…If you already took - "

"Shhh…" Harry put a finger to her lips as they tiptoed downstairs and out the front door.

Once they had walked a few blocks and they felt they were a safe distance from Number 12, she asked her question again.

"If you already took care of it and told my mum, then why the need for stealthyness?"

"I didn't tell your mother exactly," he said looking at her out of the corner of his eye. "I left a note where she will find it saying that we went on holiday for the day and that we would be back before dinner. And is stealthyness even a word?"

"What!" she asked as she whacked him on the shoulder, choosing to ignore his last comment. "That's not taking care of it, that's just giving her all day to think of creative ways to end my life when we get back, so you better start thinking about what your going to say at my funeral now because I want a good eulogy."

"Ginny relax," he laughed as he put an arm casually around her shoulder as they walked. "This is my birthday present to you, I'm not going to let you get in trouble so don't stress. I promised you that I would take care of it and I will. I'll just explain how I dragged you from the house under false pretenses and that you would never dream of disobeying your Mum's orders. Then I will drop a tidbit of information that will make them forget all about our little excursion into the big bad world today."

"What could you possibly say that would cause such a diversion?" she asked skeptically shrugging his arm off.

"Let's grab some breakfast, are you hungry? I'm famished," he said purposely ignoring her question as he took her elbow and led her into a small coffee shop.

Ginny's good humor was quickly restored by a small breakfast of coffee and crumb cake. She absolutely feel head over heels for her caramel macchiato and declared it better than tea. After eating they continued their way through the streets of London, taking in the sights and window shopping, occasionally entering a store if something caught their fancy.

About mid afternoon, they were pursuing a music store, flipping through CDs. Ginny was complaining about how unfair it was that the wizard world didn't have something comparable because it was such a good idea. Harry was in the middle of suggesting that they buy a CD player so they could figure out if they could make it run on magic when a voice from behind them made them both stiffen.

"Harry Potter?" a female voice questioned.

Harry slid his hand into his pocket where he kept his wand, ready to defend himself as he turned around slowly.

"I'm sorry….Do I know you?" he asked the pretty blonde girl who looked to be about his age.

"Oh, don't you remember me? I'm Leah, Leah Murphy, we went to primary school together. My mother is friends with your aunt, awful gossips those two," she explained good naturedly.

"Oh yes of course, Leah, I didn't even recognize you. How have you been?"

"I've been great, keeping busy, I couldn't help but recognize you. I saw you from across the store and recognized that wild hair of yours and those glasses. Do you still have the scar you got in that car accident as a baby?"

"Yup," he said using his hand to push up his fringe. He felt Ginny shift next to him. "I'm sorry I'm being rude, this is my - "

"Girlfriend," she interrupted. "Hi, I'm Ginny nice to meet you," she said as she held out her right hand to shake and slipped her left around Harry's waist.

Harry looked down at her confused, but a quick glance from her told him to play along and so he quickly put his own arm over her shoulder and pulled her close.

"Lovely to meet you Ginny. Oh don't you two make the most perfect couple. You are so pretty and with your red hair contrasting against Harry's black. You two absolutely seem made for each other, I can tell you two are going to last, don't ask me how but I can always tell these things, you seem to have such a connection, a real aura about you."

"What can I say, we're in love. Isn't that right dear?" Ginny asked looking up at Harry with merriment dancing in her eyes.

"Of course peanut," he responded giving her a peck on the forehead.

"Well I must be going, I have lots of errands to run today. I'll have to tell mother all about running into you today Harry, Ciao," and with that the bubbly being that was Leah Murphy bounded from the record store.

As soon as she was out of sight Ginny started cracking up "Peanut! What kind of pet name is peanut!"

"I don't know, it was the only thing I could think of. What was all of that about anyways?"

"Oh come on, like you don't know?" She saw the look of befuddlement on his face. "Okay maybe you don't. She said that her mother was a friend of your aunt's right, and that they are both gossips. I could tell by the way she was acting that she is no better, so I knew that anything that happened would be reported to her mother and consequently be reported back to your aunt and therefore your uncle. And since you said yourself that you are never going back I thought what would be more enjoyable then royally ticking them off with the thought of you happy and in love with a wonderful lady like myself."

Harry laughed at the expression of innocence on her face, "I like the way you think Ms. Weasley."

"Sometimes my brilliance even amazes myself," she joked.

"Well then brilliant and modest, it doesn't get better than that. How about we get this CD player, a couple of CDs, then we go get ourselves some lunch. What do you say peanut?" he asked holding out his elbow for her to take.

"Yes snookums, let us go." she laughed taking his elbow.

After a quick argument over who was going to pay for the items, Harry wanted it to be part of his birthday present to Ginny, but she said the trip and lunch was her present. It was finally decided that Harry would pay for it only if they shared it and only if he promised that he would steal it whenever he wanted to use it so it wasn't just hers, they decided to get pizza for lunch.

"I think that pizza and caramel macchiatos are my two new favorites," Ginny said as she grabbed her third slice of pepperoni and sausage pizza.

"Just hopefully not together," Harry joked wrinkling up his face at the thought of the combination.

Ginny laughed and nodded but didn't say anything. She wanted to ask Harry something but she wasn't sure if she should. It had been weighing on her mind for a while now and something he had said earlier was nagging at her thoughts.

"Harry, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, anything."

"What is it that you know that the rest of us don't? What is it that you are not telling me?"

Harry took a bite out of his slice and chewed slowly as he thought about how to answer that, he decided to stall instead. "That wasn't a question I was expecting, what makes you think that anyways?"

"Lots of little things, like some of the things you say or the look you get sometimes when you think no one is watching you. For instance how did you know that Lupin was called away on your birthday, or how come on the day you came to Number 12 you said that there is no point of you going to the Dursley's next year and why did you say that you knew nothing was going to happen to you, just like you said this morning. And I also have a feeling that what ever you are going to tell everyone when we get home also will fit into this category."

"Ahh…well…I see I can't keep anything from you. I might as well tell you now, since I was going to you tonight. And you deserve to know since you are partly responsible." He paused for a moment watching the ice swirl around in his coke as he spun his straw. "Remember that day in the park when I told you that I had stopped dreaming."

Ginny nodded, unsure what this had to do with it.

"Well that night I started dreaming again. Except these aren't ordinary dreams, I've been dreaming real events, but they aren't even like the ones I was having before, like when your dad was attacked. In those I was tapping into someone's mind and watching what was happening as it happened. But in these dreams that I'm having now, I'm just watching from the side lines and they are about stuff that hasn't happened yet. So now I always know what is happening in the world of the dark arts. That's how I knew that we would be fine today because I know that nothing involving us is happening today. It's almost like having the dark arts playbook. It's really quite handy."

"So you know everything that is going to happen before it happens, do you ever miss anything?" Ginny asked trying to wrap her mind around this new development. "Does anybody else know about this?"

"Yeah, so far everything has played out exactly how I've seen it . But I haven't told anybody about the dreams because there hasn't been a need to. Everything has ended positively for us and I don't really know what the ramifications would be if I told someone how they would win or if I meddle with it in general."

"Until now."

"What do you mean?"

"Well I assume that the thing that you are going to tell everyone tonight, the thing that will make everyone forget about our little outing, is a future an attack that you want to change the outcome of," Ginny explained.

Harry looked at her with a gravely serious expression, "Yes. The next attack." He sighed and then gave her a weak smile. "But you'll find out all about that tonight. Lets just finish enjoying our afternoon."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tears were running down Ginny's cheeks and Harry was gasping for air they were both laughing so hard as they relived Ginny's first encounter with a soda dispenser.

"I didn't know that the soda came out when you push that little lever," Ginny defended herself between giggles.

"It wasn't so much that, but how the soda ricocheted off of your hand and right into the face of that poor unsuspecting eight year old who was just trying to get a straw."

"He just looked so surprised and confused…" Ginny gasped as she held her sides. It had been one of those things that was funny when it happened, but the more they thought about it and talked about it the more hilarious it became.

By this time they had made it back to Grimmauld Place which caused them both to stop laughing. Ginny reached out to open the door but Harry grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

"Hold on a second." Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. After a moment he opened them and said, "Okay, I'm ready."

Ginny opened the door slowly and on the other side was an extremely irate Mrs. Weasley. But before she had a chance to explode at her daughter, Harry jumped in front of Ginny placing himself in the line of fire.

"Before you start yelling at Ginny for taking off without permission again, I want you to know that it should be me you are yelling at. Ginny didn't want to go out today, I had to convince her to come with me and she only agreed after I lied to her and said that I had already worked it out with you. But before you start yelling at me you should also know that your daughter and I were never in any kind of danger today. I will never put her or any of my other friends unnecessarily in harms way ever again. Trust me ,I have learned my lesson with that. That is why it is so important that I talk to everyone tonight. I believe that there is an order meeting scheduled for this evening that I would like to attend, I have a few secrets I need to confess."

Mrs. Weasley was so surprised by this, that she didn't say anything as Harry purposefully walked past her and into the kitchen with Ginny trailing meekly behind.

"Wow…Good speech," Ginny whispered in his ear as they walked.

"Thanks, I have been practicing it in my head all day," he muttered back as they sat down at the table.

About forty-five minutes later all the order members, plus Ron, Hermione, and of course Ginny, had gathered and were waiting for Harry's announcement. Harry had to have a brief argument with Mrs. Weasley about the three youngest in attendance but he had told her that he had kept Ron and Hermione in the dark long enough so he was going to tell the anyways and Ginny already knew more than anyone else so she should be there too.

Mrs. Weasley gave in without much of a fight, but was a little put out that all of this was happening so fast and all of it was out of her control. Harry knew that she just wanted to protect all four of them but she had to know that this was inevitable.

After Harry explained his dreams and he was tested by several order members about events that he should have known nothing about until everyone was satisfied that he was telling the truth, Moody finally asked the question he was waiting for.

"So why are you waiting till now to tell us this kind of information."

"Because there was no need to. I knew that everything was going to turn out well for our side and I didn't want to risk changing that outcome if I mentioned what I knew." Harry explained.

"So when does it not come out okay Harry," Tonks inquired.

"September 1st"

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A/N So what did you guys think? That was the longest chapter so far and I hope you enjoyed….time should start speeding up after the next chapter, I just really wanted to show the beginning of Harry and Ginny's relationship and really show how close they have become and that they have a really strong friendship before anything else happens

I'm not sure when chapter 8 is going to be ready, I've hit a bit of a wall, I know what I want to happen and what needs to happen but I cant seem to formulate it into a cohesive chapter…..but while you guys wait if you want to check out my other story Just Married….Kinda that should be updating frequently 


	8. Dreams

A/N Sorry this chapter took so long…. I finally figured out how to get around my writers block with the battle, I decided to write around it…..you'll see what I mean….

* * *

Harry was sitting by himself in a compartment aboard the Hogwarts Express with more emotions coursing through him than he would have thought possible. Most, he could account for, others he could not. 

His fear, anxiety, frustration, and annoyance were all caused by the battle that he knew had taken place that morning, but that he did not know the outcome of.

That night, a few weeks ago at the Order meeting, when he announced that the Death Eaters were planning to ambush them when they were on their way to Kings Cross, plans were immediately made to keep Harry away from the battle. In Harry's dream the Death Eaters all appeared at once and started shooting curses simultaneously at him. Shacklebolts, Lupin and Ginny had all been killed in the crossfire trying to protect him.

To prevent this, a plan was made for Hermione, Ron, Harry and Ginny to take a portkey directly to platform 9 ¾ to keep them out of the battle and to keep them safe. Meanwhile Tonks would transform herself to look like Harry so she and the rest of the Order could continue with the original plan. That way they would have the upper hand in that they would know exactly where and when the attack would take place.

Harry was happy to have his friends out of harms way, especially Ginny who had become his rock and couldn't imagine loosing, but he wanted to stay with the rest of the Order and help fight. He protested the new plan quite noisily until Dumbledore pulled him aside and told him that they couldn't risk losing him and they needed him to get to Hogwarts in one piece. Finally Harry agreed, but he wasn't happy about it. In the end he knew Dumbledore was right, it wasn't his time yet. Harry knew that when it was his time, there would be nothing that anybody could do to keep him away.

Still, he was frustrated that he felt useless and helpless, trapped on a train not knowing what happened until he got to Hogwarts and had the meeting with Dumbledore he had arranged to have this evening.

But those were all emotions that he understood and could deal with. It was the feelings of abandonment and jealousy that he couldn't understand.

He didn't feel abandoned by Ron and Hermione, even though he was currently alone in the compartment. He knew that they had to go to the Prefect meeting and that didn't bother him, he knew they had to go and was expecting it. It was Ginny he felt abandoned by.

He leaned his forehead against the cool glass and watched the countryside go by as he recalled the scene that had transpired not even an hour ago. Ginny had been reassuring him that everything would be fine when Dean had called out her name. He had watched her face light up, heard her call a quick 'see you later,' and watched her trot into the waiting arms of her boyfriend. He also watched as she was greeted by all of her friends and as she got on the train to find a place to sit with them, before she too hurried of to the Prefect meeting.

He felt dumb for forgetting over the summer that she had other friends. The only reason that he had her all to himself over the summer was that she was a captive audience, the simple fact was, there wasn't anybody else to be with. Now that they were going back to school, he would have to share her and not just with her friends, but with her boyfriend and he was jealous.

He wasn't sure quite how to handle this and he realized just how dependent he had become on her over the summer. It was Ginny that brought him back into the world when he was ready to leave itt. It was to Ginny that he had had entrusted his feelings and secrets to. It was Ginny that knocked some sense into Ron and Hermione when they had freaked out when Harry told them about the prophecy after the Order meeting that night. And it was Ginny that he had laughed, talked, joked, and just hung out with all summer, especially since Ron and Hermione had become an official couple and required lots of alone time.

Harry knew he was being selfish, but he couldn't help feeling as if had just lost one of his best friends. This, combined with his worry over the attack, had succeeded in making him thoroughly depressed. He was sitting there staring out the window being mad at Ginny and being mad at himself for being mad at Ginny who hadn't done anything for him to be mad at, when Ron and Hermione finally came into the compartment.

"I just want to hurt Malfoy sometimes. You would think that he would be a little less arrogant now that his father is in Azkaban," Hermione vented as she sat down across from Harry.

"Malfoy will never change, he will always be a wanker," Ron said as he sat next to his girlfriend.

The duo shared a concerned glance regarding Harry, who had yet to acknowledge their arrival.

"Everyone is going to be fine Harry and Dumbledore promised to tell you everything that happened right after the feast," Hermione tried to comfort him, miscalculating the larger cause for his moodiness.

"So Harry, Colin Creevey was made the other Gryffindor Prefect along with Ginny," Ron informed him trying to engage him in lighter conversation.

At the mention of Ginny's name he gave an odd sort of grunt/grumble, gave Ron a pained look and went back to staring out the window. Ron and Hermione didn't know what to make of this and after a few moments of silent conversing with each other, they decided to leave him alone.

Before Harry realized what was happening the far away rumblings and the gentle rockings of the train had lured him to sleep.

The next thing he knew, he was back at the park in Little Whinging. His friends were there, but they were all dressed in weird costumes. Hermione was dressed up as Little Miss Muffet and Ron was dressed as a spider, but every time he saw himself he started screaming until Hermione slapped him across the face which seemed to calm him down. Luna was dressed as Little Bo Peep and Neville was dressed as her sheep. Ginny was dressed as Little Red Riding Hood and Dean was the Big Bad Wolf. Luna and Neville were playing on the seesaw and the others were jump roping.

"Why are you dressed like that Harry, is it a costume of some kind?" Ron asked.

Harry looked down at himself, he didn't understand what Ron meant he was just wearing his school robes.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!"

**_SMACK_**

"Thanks Mionemers."

"It's alright Ronalopagus. Really though Harry, you should consider putting on some proper clothes, you look a little silly."

Harry wanted to tell them that they were the ones who looked silly, but when he opened his mouth he found he had no voice.

"Speaking of clothes Ginnilicious, red really isn't your color," Dean said while he twirled one end of the jump rope.

"I know," Ginny sighed as she twirled the other end of the rope, "red heads look better in green, this red clashes with my hair." Ginny snapped her fingers with her freehand and suddenly she was wearing green. "There much better, but now I'm Little Green Riding Hood."

Everybody started laughing as if it was the funniest they had ever heard. Ron was laughing so hard that he was bending over and grabbing his stomach which unfortunately gave him a great view of himself.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

_**SMACK**_

"Thanks."

"Welcome."

"Come play with us Harry, you do know how to jump rope don't you?" Ginny asked him.

Everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at him. Harry tried to join them but when he looked at his feet ha saw he had sunk into the sand and was trapped.

"Come on Harry," Luna said in a voice very unlike her usual dreamy self. "You really should play with us, people are starting to talk."

Neville nodded solemnly, "Yes Harry, especially after what you did and what you are going to do. You should really try to act like you're normal and hide what you are."

They all continued to stare at him, waiting for him to join them.

"Fine, but don't say we didn't invite you," Dean said as he took Ginny's hand and started to lead her into the woods, everyone else following them.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

_**SMACK**_

"Thank you."

As Harry watched them disappear into the woods, the world around him started dissolve like an oil painting splashed with turpentine. As the world reformed he was happy to note that he was no longer stuck in the ground. After a quick glance around he recognized his surroundings as St. Mungos, the calander on the wall told him it was the 3rd. At the other end of the otherwise empty ward, he saw a man who seemed to be keeping vigil over someone.

He shuffled closer to the bed and gasped when he saw the man was Lupin and he was watching over an unconscious Tonks. Harry watched as her eyes suddenly fluttered open and Lupin gave an excited little cry and knelt down to kiss her.

Before he could process this the room started to spin and his location changed again.

"You have failed me again. You were supposed to capture Potter, but he wasn't even there, instead you imbeciles got Pettigrew and Goyle captured. Dumbledore's peons knew you were coming and I want to know HOW!" Voldemort boomed over his Death Eaters.

"It wont happen again my Lord, next time we will not fail. We will capture Potter for you," Bellatrix groveled at his feet.

"You better hope you do, because all other plans suspended until the Potter nuisance is eliminated, taking out the boy is the number one priority and I have a plan and if you fail me again, I will not be this forgiving," Voldemort said dangerously.

Harry's scar started to burn as he listened to the sordid details. Suddenly he felt the floor give out from under him and he fell into another scene. As soon as he hit the ground his head exploded with pain. He looked up and saw himself facing Voldemort, both of them surrounded by a ring of Death Eaters. Harry knew what was going on, he knew that this was it, he knew it was the Final Battle.

He watched himself muttering something and wanted to know why he was just standing there, he didn't even have his wand out.

Voldemort raised his wand, but when he opened his mouth to speak it was Ron's voice that came out.

"Harry! Harry, wake up mate, you're dreaming."

Harry slowly opened his eyes and saw that he was on the floor and Ron and Hermione were standing over him, both looking concerned. He tried to sit up, but had to quickly lay back down as his stomach turned, his head felt it was going to split down the middle, and the whole room was spinning.

After a few deep breaths, he managed to croak out a weak, "What happened?"

"I don't know mate, you fell asleep and you were having a nightmare, you started screaming something awful and you fell onto the floor," Ron explained.

Harry was quiet for a moment as his dreams came back to him. i Scary park…Neville in a sheep outfit…Hermione in ruffles…Angry Voldemort…Pain….Really angry Voldemort… /i Harry gasped.

"Damn it Ron! Why did you have to wake me up? You're so thick sometimes!" Harry yelled jumping to his feet. He quickly regretted the quick movement as it made his head spin and his stomach drop and it took all of the self control he possessed to keep himself from being sick right then and there.

"We were concerned Harry, we were just trying to help," Hermione said obviously trying to keep her cool.

"Sure and the happy little couple can just back each other up, forget about the damage he might have just done by waking me."

"That's not fair Harry," Hermione said dangerously quiet.

"I need some air," Harry said as he strode from the compartment.

He made his way down the aisle briefly peering into windows as he went. He paused when he saw Ginny and her friends. The compartment was more then full with Ginny, Dean, Seamus, Luna, Neville, and a few other 5th year girls that Harry didn't know. He watched as Ginny told them a story that had them all in stitches, her legs were laying across her boyfriends lap and Dean's hand was resting on her left foot.

_But he doesn't know about the scar she has and he wasn't there to help her she got it,_ Harry thought bitterly. Tonks had offered to heal the scar she got when she jumped out of the tree but Ginny insisted on keeping it as evidence of her "warrior wound."

A large part of him would have given anything at that moment to be able to be in there laughing with everyone else, instead of outside reeling with the new knowledge he had gained from his latest dream.

_Of course Ginny is not going to want to hang out with me now that we are going back to school, _Harry thought gloomily_. She was probably just hanging out with me because she felt bad for me that I didn't have anyone else to hangout with, Well she wont have to hang out with me anymore because she shouldn't have to. My problems aren't her problems, I'm just being selfish. Come on Harry, _he coached himself _I made it through five years without her, I'll be fine. Besides she has her OWLS this year she doesn't need to be burdened by my issues too. If she had been in the compartment with us I probably would have yelled at her too. She is definitely better off where she is. _And with that he decided that he was going to let Ginny live her life and stay out of her way.

Harry sighed and continued his way back up the corridor unaware that Ginny looked up, sensing his presence, the second he had moved out of sight. When he finally made it down to the loo he locked himself in and scrutinized his appearance in the mirror. He was pale and clammy with his scar standing out in a bright red against his ashen face.

He splashed some cold water on his face and neck and after a minute his heart rate slowed to normal and his head stopped throbbing enough for him to realize that he had just made an ass of himself. As he walked slowly back to the compartment he knew he was going to have to apologize for biting his friends heads off when he knew they were just trying to help.

"Jezz guys, I'm already nauseous, do you have to do that everywhere?" Harry asked a making out Ron and Hermione, who jumped apart the second he spoke. Even though they had been together for a month, they were still extremely shy about any PDA which meant that they both were embarrassed every time Harry and Ginny walked in on them over the summer. The first couple times Harry and Ginny interupted had been an accident, but then it soon became a game.

"If you were doing that while I was sleeping, maybe that's what gave me the nightmares," Harry tried to joke.

Ron and Hermione just glared at him.

"Look, I'm sorry I was a prat and yelled at you guys. I didn't mean what I said and you guys didn't deserve it, I know you were only trying to help. It's just I woke up really feeling sick and I really kind of needed to see the way that dream ended but you guys didn't know that. So I'm sorry again and I hope you forgive me."

"Its alright mate," Ron forgave quickly. He was just grateful that he wasn't going to have to have some long prolonged fight.

Hermione nodded in agreement with Ron, "But what did you dream about?"

A shadow passed over Harry's countenance, "I don't really want to talk about it."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Harry felt as if the sorting had lasted forever and for the first time he couldn't wait for the start of term feast to end. All he could do was pick at his food and wait until they were dismissed so that he could have his meeting with Dumbledore. Finally after seemed like an eternity the prefects stood and called for the first years to follow them back to the Dorms.

"The new password is pickled cabbage," Hermione whispered into his ear before she wrangled a couple first years.

Harry remained seated as the Great Hall started to clear. It wasn't until the hall was almost empty and Dumbledore finally motioned to him, that he rose to follow his Headmaster in silence to his office.

It wasn't until they reached his office and the door was locked that Dumbledore turned and looked the young man in the eye. Harry was disheartened to see the absence of the usual sparkle behind the wire framed spectacles, he feared that this meant that Tonks was not the only casualty of the battle.

"I want you to know that with the information you supplied, we were able to apprehend both Pettigrew and Goyle…"

The voice in Harry's head was screaming at the elder wizard to tell him something he didn't know but he managed to keep this impulse in check and waited for Dumbledore to reveal the information in his own time.

"…and with Pettigrew in custody, I hope that we will soon be able to clear Sirius's name. Unfortunately though, Nymphadora was critically injured during the battle and remains unconscious at St. Mungos-"

"Was anybody else hurt?" Harry demanded to know.

"There are some cuts and bruises, but nothing critical."

"Oh thank gods," Harry sighed collapsing into a chair, relief flooding over him that he had not caused another friends death.

"But I must warn you Harry, that the Healers don't know when or even if she will wake," Dumbledore reiterated gravely, unsure why Harry was taking the news so lightly.

"Oh she'll be fine, she'll wake up in a couple of days, Wednesday to be exact." Harry saw the inquiring glance that the Headmaster was giving him. "I feel asleep on the train and I dreamt it. And I think there might be something going on between her and Lupin."

Dumbledore smiled for the first time all day, glad to hear Harry's new, "Yes, I suspected something might be going on there." However the smile quickly melted off his face when he saw the boys face turn suddenly serious once more. "What is it Harry?"

"Voldemort is already planning his next move and this time its going to be big, he is coming for me and it's going to be the end."

"Did you dream the Final Battle Harry?"

Harry nodded gravely, "But I didn't get to see how it ended because Ron woke me up."

"Is there a chance that you will dream it again?"

"I don't know, I never have in the past. Professor, from what I saw, it's going to be big and I'm going to be alone. I'm not even close to being prepared, I need to learn everything I can about everything. I have to be ready way sooner than I thought I would have to be."

"Do you know exactly when this is going to transpire?" he asked with an appraising stare.

"No," Harry lied. He didn't want anybody to know, because he was afraid they might interfere or try to change the inevitable. "But Sir, I know that I'm going to need help to be ready in time."

"Of course, I will train you personally if you would please." Harry nodded. "How about three times a week as to not interfere with your Quidditch practices."

"Well I don't know if I will have practices as I have a lifelong ban and even if it is repealed I don't know if I will go back. It just seems like there are more important things to worry about."

"No my boy, although that shows a great deal of maturity and dedication that you will need in the coming months, you need to play, you need the release." Dumbledore suddenly looked very sad and tired. "And Harry, I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"For protecting you for too long and not protecting you long enough. Its been a long day Harry, why don't you get some sleep."

Harry knew the conversation was over and nodded his good night as he exited the room. By the time he reached the portrait hole he realized just how tired he was and was eager to crawl into bed.

He was at the bottom of the staircase leading up to the dormitories when he was engulfed by a big hug from Ginny.

"Are you okay Harry?" she whispered in his ear, "Ron told me what happened on the train. Did you maybe want to go somewhere and talk about it?"

Harry broke her embrace and looked at her face, he could see the worry written all over it. He also looked at Dean who was watching them intently as he had been in the middle of a sentence when Ginny had run away when she saw Harry.

"No, I think I'm just going to head off to bed. And anyways I think your boyfriend wants you back," he told her, struggling to keep the contempt from his voice before he turned and walked up the stairs.

Ginny frowned but didn't stop him as she watched him retreat up into his dorm. She continued to watch until she could no longer see him before she returning to Dean to finish their conversation.

* * *

A/N and there it is, I hope it was worth the wait….this isn't my favorite chapter but that might just be because it was so hard for me to write so I'm really eager to see what you guys felt about it…..I know it seems like this was a step back for Harry and it was, but that happens to people and even though Ginny helped him grow as a person a lot over the summer, he still has a lot of years of feeling little self worth before that to get over….. So please let me know what you think….. 

thanks to everyone that has reviewed...it really means the world to me...

I have about 30 percent of chapter 9 written so the wait for that one shouldn't be nearly as long…..so until next time….Love Always


	9. Reconnections

A/N Here's Chapter 9! I already have warned you now that we are back at school we're going to start moving at super speed and we're going to start skipping some major periods of time…..But I promise I'll slow back down when it is necessary… I hope you enjoy!

I extended the ending for those of you who already read it...I thought it needed a little bit more...

* * *

Harry sat up and stretched as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. The amount of light pouring in through the window told him he had slept in much later than he was used to. A quick glance at the clock that resided on his nightstand confirmed that thought as he saw it was already 10:30. A part of him felt guilty for not getting up early to study or train, but it was Halloween and Dumbledore had insisted that he take the day off.

Since his arrival at Hogwarts, Harry had thrown himself into his studies with a fervor and ferocity that made Hermione look lazy. Every waking moment that he wasn't in class, having a session with the Headmaster, at Quidditch practice, grabbing a quick bite to eat, or sleeping, he was either in the library absorbing as much information as he could or in the Room of Requirement training.

Since Voldemort and his cronies were purposely staying off the radar until Harry could be 'eliminated' as a threat, the Order was able to breath easy, for the time being at least. So when they had time off from their day jobs, both Tonks and Lupin would come and help train Harry in various disciplines, everything from martial arts to meditation, anything and everything that could possibly be useful.

Harry had meant what he said when he told Dumbledore that he wanted to learn everything about everything. He didn't know how he was supposed to defeat Voldemort, but he knew that anything could be of help when the day finally came. So until that day, no jinx, no curse, no counter curse, no charm, no potion, so skill would be considered unimportant.

At the beginning of term, his teachers almost didn't know what to make of him. He had always been a fairly good student, mainly because he had Hermione to bail him out when he needed, but he had never shown such utter focus and concentration. Snape had even gone so far as to accuse him of cheating after he completed two perfect potions in a row and gave him detention so he could remake them by himself. But after Harry had done this three times and managed to brew perfect potions even with him hovering over him watching his every move, Snape had finally given up and resorted to just ignoring his existence.

He never told Ron and Hermione exactly what he was dreaming when they had woken him up him on the train, but they were able to make an educated guess and supported him the best they could. Harry was grateful that they volunteered much of their own free time to help him train which unfortunately meant lots of bumps and bruises for them. However, Harry would only let them help for so long before he kicked them out as he was determined that they live their lives too. And although the pair always protested when he did this, he didn't fail to notice that they were happy to go. But Harry didn't hold a grudge against them for this, he was truly happy that they were happy.

Ginny however, was a different story. As hard as it was for him to do it, he pushed Ginny away. He didn't just stop talking to her completely, because he knew that she would never put up with that. Instead he only had casual conversations with her and only if she started them first and even then, he treated her only with polite indifference resulting in that they never had the meaningful or fun conversations that they had shared over the summer.

For the first month or so she had attempted talking to him a lot, she had even apologized for ditching him on the train but he just said that he didn't care about that and continued to push him away. Lately she had been reaching out to him less and less and was instead spending her time with Dean. It killed him to watch her drift away, but he stayed stubborn and kept to his decision that this was for the best.

There were many times that he would learn something new that was really cool and he would love to show it to her or he would doubt himself and wanted to go to her for comfort and reassurance. He almost did a couple of time, but every time he walked into the common room and saw her surrounded by people and laughing (it seemed like she was always laughing) he changed his mind, convinced she was better off without him.

"Shoes," he commanded. His trainers flew from the foot of his bed and into his hand where he was sitting. He smiled to himself, he was really starting to get the hang of this wandless magic thing. He had already learned how to move objects with his mind making it possible to levitate, summon or banish objects with a wave of his hand and soon Dumbledore was going to teach him the even more difficult task of creating fire.

As he tied his shoes and pulled a jumper over his head, his stomach protested its emptiness. Breakfast was long since over and lunch was still a few hours away so he decided to head down to the kitchens, confident that the house elves would take care of him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"It's called a macchiato, it's coffee, well actually it's a latte, it has espresso and caramel and foam on top with some more caramel drizzled over that…" Ginny explained desperately to Dobby for the third time. She stopped when she saw the elf jump up excitedly.

"Harry Potter!"

Ginny turned and saw a slightly panicked Harry standing in the entrance.

"Hello Dobby," he grimaced.

"Hey Harry, what are you doing down here?"

"Hey Ginny, I was actually going to get a bite to eat, but you know I'm not really that hungry anymore so I think I might just wait until lunch, I will see you later."

That was it for her, she didn't know why he was acting so weird for the past two months but she was going to find out. "Don't even think about leaving this kitchen Harry James Potter. I don't know what your issue has been for the past two months but I am sick of it. What ever it is, you need to get over it and pull your head out, because I'm not having it anymore!"

Harry was a little taken aback. "I don't know what you are talking about," he denied.

"Bull shit Harry, you have been completely blowing me off since we got to school and it's pissing me off. I don't think I have done anything to deserve this and I want to know why you have been treating me so badly."

Harry sat down at one of the tables and put his face in his hands. He didn't really think that this might be hurting her as much as it was hurting him. "I don't know Gin, I had my reasons in the beginning, but I don't know anymore," he told her.

Her anger waned a little bit after seeing him look so weary. She sat down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I don't know what I'm doing , I just kind of flipped out. I guess that over the summer I kinda forgot that you had other friends and a whole life that had nothing to do with me and my issues and maybe I was a little jealous. Then after I dreamt the final battle, I saw you and all your friends and you looked so happy and I didn't want to take that happiness away from you. My future is so unpredictable, I have no guarantees that I will be able to be as good of a friend to you as you were to me, I just felt like you deserved more. I thought that by pushing you away that I was giving you an opportunity at a happy, normal life instead of getting mixed up in mine. You sacrificed so much of your time for me this summer, I just wanted to give you a good year, I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Do you still want to be my friend?" Ginny asked.

"Of course I do. This has been killing me, you don't know how many times I have wanted to come talk to you the way we did over the summer."

Ginny considered all of this for a moment before taking off her necklace and slipping her hand beneath his collar and fishing his out from under his shirt. "Harry these mean something," she fit them together so they interlocked. "These mean that we are connected. I don't know what you thought, but I wasn't sacrificing anything by hanging out with you this summer, I wanted to hang out with you last summer and I still do. Harry, I'm not stupid, I realized what I was getting myself into when I reached out to you in that first letter and I also know that you are going through a particularly difficult period in your life, but I want to be there for it, I want to help you through it and be there when you come out from the other side. And I also expect you to be there for me when I need you. Harry, I want to be your friend and don't ever think otherwise. I'm getting something out of this friendship too. Trust me I'm no martyr, actually I'm quite selfish, I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to be."

Harry rubbed the interlocking charms between his fingers. "You may be many things Ginny, but selfish is not one of them."

Ginny didn't reply, but reached her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug. Harry was only too thrilled to hug her back. After a minute they pulled apart slightly so they still had their arms around each other but they could look at each other. They gazed at each other intently for a moment moving closer and closer as if they were being drawn together magnetically until-

"Didn't you come down here for breakfast?" Ginny whispered. Breathing a little quicker than she had been before.

Harry cleared his throat, "Yeah, I did." He released her from his grip. "And I think you were trying to get a macchiato."

Ginny laughed, "Yeah I have been dreaming about having one for weeks. Dobby how is my coffee coming?"

Dobby brought over a plate of food for Harry and a mug for Ginny which gave them the perfect excuse to pretend what almost happened, never happened.

Ginny took a hesitant sip, "A little sweet, but not too off. Thank you Dobby."

"You is most welcome youngest Weezey."

Ginny sipped her coffee while Harry ate and told her all about the new skills he was learning from Dumbledore. i I can't believe that he would actually think that I would want to ditch him just because I was around my boyfriend again. I mean I want to spend time with Dean too, but my friends will always come first. It's like he was afraid I would lose interest so he pushed me away first. Well I'll just have to show him that I am in it for the long haul/i she thought as she listened to him.

"It's just like moving larger objects but on a much smaller scale. You see it's all about the manipulation of the molecules. You just have concentrate and focus on moving the individual molecules fast enough until they generate heat and then fire," he explained excitedly.

"Wow, I'm totally impressed. How did you learn to do all of this in two months?"

"Well I actually can't create fire yet. I can't control quite enough molecules at once yet. And I've really only learned as much as I have because, well I haven't really done much else but eat, sleep, Quidditch and study. This is actually the first day I have given myself off all term and that's only because Dumbledore is making me," he chuckled self deprecatingly, "to be honest I don't really know what to do with myself."

"Then hang out with me, I don't have any plans for today and even if I did I would cancel them."

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather hand out with Dean?" Harry asked carefully not meeting her gaze.

Ginny sighed loudly, "Harry, since you deemed it necessary to blow me off for two months, I have been hanging out with him almost constantly. To be honest, I could use a break from him. Trust me I would much rather hang out with you."

Ginny was thrilled to see a genuine smile spread across Harry's face. "Alright, sounds good."

Ginny smiled in return, "Great."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was almost time for the Halloween feast by the time Harry and Ginny crawled through the portrait hole flushed and windblown but very happy, having spent a better part of the afternoon flying.

"Okay lets go change and meet back here in ten and then we'll go down to the Great Hall together," Ginny planned.

Harry agreed and they both headed up to their respective dorms to freshen up. Somehow Ginny had finished first and was waiting at the base of the stairs. She turned when she heard someone descending expecting it to be Harry, instead it was Dean.

"Hey Ginny, where have you been all day? I was looking for you earlier," he questioned curiously as he gave her a quick peck.

"I was hanging out with Harry today," she answered truthfully.

"Oh…okay, well are you ready to head down to the feast?"

"Actually, I'm going to wait for Harry, were not done hanging out yet, but you don't have to wait, you go ahead and I'll see you done there."

"Are you sure you don't want to come now or want me to wait with you?" Ginny nodded. "Okay, I'll see you down there then," Dean said a little confused as he walked out of the portrait hole.

Harry appeared the second Dean left, "You didn't have to do that, you could have gone ahead."

"Were you eavesdropping on the stairs?" she asked sternly. He nodded sheepishly. "Good Merlin's mother, when are you going to acknowledge the fact that I _want_ to spend time with you. Because frankly I'm getting tired of saying it."

"Sorry."

"As you should be," she teased. "Now come on, I'm starving."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Harry climbed into bed at the end of the night, his thoughts occupied with his day with Ginny.

_I am such a git…I can't believe that I underestimated her again. She's not the kind of person who just abandons a friend. I'm just glad she forgave me_, he thought to himself.

xxxxxxx

Ginny pulled her covers up to her chin and nestled into her pillows.

_Wow Harry can be dense sometimes, I can't believe he really thought I would be happy to be dumped like that. When will he ever realize that he isn't a burden just because that's what his awful Muggles told him his while life. But what was that down in the kitchen?"_

xxxxxxx

_For a second there I thought we were going to kiss or something…_

xxxxxxx

_But that's ridiculous, why would we kiss? Maybe I just imagined it, after all he didn't act like he noticed anything. Maybe I'm just overreacting, I bet it was nothing. _Ginny thought turning on her side.

xxxxxxx

_She didn't seem like she thought we were about to kiss. Besides she has a boyfriend_.

xxxxxxx

_Besides I have a boyfriend…who didn't seem thrilled that I chose to sit next to Harry at the feast tonight. But whatever, he is just going to have to deal with it. Besides you're just a friend to him nothing more so get over it Ginny and go to sleep!_

xxxxxxx

_Jezz Harry get a hold of yourself, _he told himself._ She is your friend and nothing else and she will never think of you as anything else so just get over it and go to sleep!_

* * *

A/N Well there it is….I hope you enjoyed it……let me know what you think! 


	10. Powers

A/N Finally here's chapter 10!.….Graduation is finally over, so hopefully I will have more time to write….This chapter is my longest to date…I almost split it up into two shorter ones but I decided to give it as one long one……and if you guys havent checked it out since, i added a little bit more to the end of chapter 9...its not that important but you might want to take a quick glance at it

Thanks again to all my lovely reviewers

Perkey Terkey--- I know it seems like they are taking forever to get together and it is and im sorry but it will be a while longer...but i promise that when they do it will be worth it

animulluver8---she hasnt left Dean yet but things arent as hunkey dorey as they used to be between them, so have hope...hehehe

And thanks to my fabulous new beta Augurey Song who is amazing!

* * *

Harry was sitting in the Room of Requirement working on levitating and manipulating five objects at once when someone slammed through the door. He looked up and saw a very angry redhead.

"Hey Ginny. What's wrong?" he asked as he lowered the objects onto the table.

"Nothing," she grumbled as she marched to a cabinet, ripped it open, grabbed her staff and threw Harry his.

"Sure it's 'nothing.' That's why you came in here looking for a fight. Come on, you never let _me_ get away with 'nothing.' Now tell me what's really bothering you," he said as they moved over to the empty portion of the room and started circling each other.

Ginny sighed, "I just got in a fight with Dean is all."

"Oh, I'm sorry," he told her trying to sound sincere. Frankly, his relationship with Dean, his dorm mate for the past five and a half years had slowly been deteriorating over the past few months, though he didn't really know why. "What about?"

Ginny sighed again and Harry could tell that she was contemplating whether to tell him the truth or not. "Honestly…?" He nodded and she struck low. "You."

"Me? Why me?" he asked confusedly, while blocking her strike.

"Well, we have fought about you before, because he thinks that I spend more time with you than I do with him. So when I told him that I wasn't going to be able to spent Saturday with him he was upset and he got _really_ angry when he heard it was because I was going to be with you. But I told him he was being ridiculous because I don't spend more time you than I do with him…do I?"

Harry just shrugged in reply.

He thought about what she said and realized that perhaps Dean was right. Ever since they had reconnected back in October, Ginny had been slowly spending more and more time with him, which meant that she was spending less and less time with Dean…resulting in the fact that recently, she was spending more time with him than she was with her boyfriend.

Harry felt bad for causing Ginny problems, but he couldn't say that he was sorry she was spending so much time with him. She had really become invaluable to him, not only as a friend, but as a training partner.

It had turned out that Ginny had a rather large aptitude for hand to hand combat and she really enjoyed it. So, much to the relief to Ron and Hermione, she had become his main sparring and training partner. She also found out that she had some talent for wandless magic, not nearly to the scale that he had, but she was able levitate small objects and with enough practice she would eventually be able to banish or summon them. Although she would never be able to create fire or make objects freeze or explode like he could, she was able to do more than the average witch and that made her happy. Harry loved that Ginny was so enthusiastic about helping him train because she stopped it from becoming a chore. She kept it fresh and fun, like now when she just marched in and decided that it was time to have a go at each other with oversized sticks.

"Wait," Harry said, breaking from his reverie to block three quick strikes to his shins. "What's happening on Saturday that he is so upset about you missing?"

Ginny looked at him disbelievingly as she blocked his strike to her stomach, "Wow Harry, Dumbledore is right. You really do need to join the rest of the world once in a while. Honestly, have you looked around the common room lately?"

Harry went over a mental picture of the common room from this morning. Finally the numerous red, pink and white hearts adorning the walls and the naked babies hanging from the ceiling registered. He had been so preoccupied that he hadn't even realized that it was Valentine's Day that weekend.

"Oh Gin, you don't have to be there this Saturday. I didn't realize it was Valentine's Day when I asked, if I had, I wouldn't have. I don't even know how long it's going to take, you don't really even need to be there and you should really spend Valentine's with your boyfriend," he said, as they both quickened the pace.

"I knew that you didn't know," she said with a smile as she started to break a sweat. "But I did, and I said I would be there anyway. I don't care about Valentine's Day. It's a commercial holiday made up by greeting card and candy companies to make money. Besides, I want to be there when you wake up because I'm bloody curious to know what you will find out, so Dean can just learn to deal. I have already told him that he's not going to make me choose between him and my friends."

"But what if he did?" he asked while doing a fancy spin move so she wouldn't see how anxious he was to get an answer.

"Isn't it obvious? You know that my friends always come first. And frankly, I'm getting kind of tired of how needy he is."

Harry lunged at her, which she easily sidestepped and blocked. She struck high with a quick left, right, left, which he matched each time with a satisfying _clack_.

"If you think he is needy then what do you think about me?" Harry asked, jumping over her attempt to sweep him. "You're constantly helping me train or listening to my issues and stuff."

"I don't know, it's different with you," she said casually ducking another strike. "I like it when you need me. Maybe it's because your issues are all too warranted and real and I feel like I'm truly helping not just you but _everyone_ when I help you. Comparatively, Dean's problems are just trivial and kind of annoy me. Ouch!" She exclaimed as he accidentally caught one of her fingers.

"Sorry….OW!" he too exclaimed as she got him back, hard. "Hey, it was an accident."

"I know, but it doesn't make it hurt any less," she said laughing at the pained expression on his face.

A quick arm jerk from Harry, and Ginny found herself flat on her back, having just had her feet swept out from under her. Now he was laughing at the confused expression on her face as she realized she was on the ground.

She propped herself up on her elbows and watched Harry practice some fancy twirling while she waited for her pulse to slow back down to normal. He started with twirling it in front of himself, the staff moving so fast that it looked like a blur. Then, quickly once behind the back and back to the front, then continuously behind the back and back to front, then high-lows behind the back and back to front. Next, he moved on to forward figure eights and with a quick step forward and turn, he transitioned into reverse figure eights.

"I can do the forward figure eights, but I cant seem to get the transition into the reverse," she mentioned as she watched.

"It's all about the wrist flick," he explained as he demonstrated again. He stopped spinning and held out the end of his staff towards her. She grabbed it with both hands and he hoisted her onto her feet. "Here, you try."

She grabbed her own staff and tried to follow his example, but only succeeded in smacking herself in the elbow.

"You need to throw it behind you, not to the side," he said putting down his own staff and moving behind her to take her hand in his own. "Throw it behind you, then flick your wrist," he said as he guided her through the motions again and again. "See, it's not that hard," he whispered in her ear. "You just have to let it flow."

Ginny felt her stomach dissolve into a million butterflies as Harry pressed his body up against hers. She didn't know why, since they were always in close proximity when they were training, but she had never felt like this. _I'm probably just reacting to the fight I had with Dean. This doesn't mean anything. _She could feel his chest rise and fall with every breath he took and she could feel the color rise in her cheeks as his warm breath tickled her ear. Alarm bells were going off in her mind. _What am I doing? Why do I feel this way and why does it feel so right? It was just a little fight, not a big deal and I care for my boyfriend very much, I care for my boyfriend very much, I care for my boyfriend very much…but my boyfriend doesn't make me feel all light headed like this. I should really move, but I don't want to…Come on Ginny, snap out of this. Harry doesn't like you like that. Just yesterday he was telling you how much he valued you as a friend. As a **friend **Ginny, that's it._

She forced herself to stop her arm and to break away from Harry. "Thanks, I think I have it now."

Harry blinked as if he was snapping out of a daze, "No problem. Anytime."

Ginny moved to the cupboard to put both of their staffs away and then moved to the table and pretended to be interested in something as she waited for the blush to drain out of her cheeks.

"So," she said, desperately searching her mind for a safe topic, "are you excited about Saturday?"

"Excited and a little nervous. I'm not really sure what to expect. Its not like I have ever been on a sprit journey before."

A spirit journey was Dumbledore's latest idea, hoping that Harry could learn something of importance in his fight against Voldemort. However, to go on a spirit journey was to contact a higher power, so only a very skilled and deserving wizard could complete one successfully. Dumbledore now felt that Harry was ready.

"You'll be fine, and Dumbledore and I will be there for you when you come out of it."

"Thanks, you know how much I appreciate it." Ginny smiled and nodded. "Now come on. I can tell that you are still stressing about that fight, so come meditate with me."

"Nooooo!" Ginny cried dramatically throwing her arms out in front of her as if to protect herself. She had tried to learn to meditate when Lupin had originally introduced it to Harry, but she had been kicked out of the room when she couldn't stop giggling. She couldn't help it, she just felt so silly sitting there on a pillow with her eyes closed trying to concentrate on nothing. Harry kept trying to get her to give it another shot, but so far she had resisted.

"Yessss!" he cried mimicking her. "Come on Gin, you might like it if you try it. I thought it felt weird at first to, but it really does help," he said, grabbing Ginny's wrist as she tried to escape. He laughed and closed his eyes and covered Ginny's with his hand so the room would have a chance to change.

Before Harry clamped his hand over her eyes, she had every intention of fleeing the room, but she couldn't help but to stop struggling and to settle into his arms for the second time that day. A soft breeze flowed around her and she knew the room was shifting.

When Harry finally released her, she looked around the room and observed its changes. The walls were now a clean, crisp white, the floor a bleached beech, and there were white panels of gauzy fabric hanging from the ceiling. She looked skeptically at Harry.

"Come on Gin, just give it a shot."

She just rolled her eyes and plopped down on one of the two oversized pillows which were the only furnishings in the room.

"Good," Harry said pleased as he sat down next to her.

After about ten minutes, Ginny surprised herself when she realized she was enjoying herself, she didn't feel so self conscience with Lupin not in the room watching. She opened one eye and looked at Harry and was happy to see that he looked more relaxed than she had seen him for weeks, and that his bangs fell over one eye in the most adorable way. _I think I could get used to this meditating thing,_ she thought as she closed her eyes once more.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Are you ready Harry?" Dumbledore asked. Harry nodded. "Okay then repeat this incantation three times then take this potion," he said, handing the boy a bottle and a spell.

Harry did as he was told. He didn't think it was working and was going to say so when he heard Ginny give a startled cry and he realized he had fallen to the floor. _Wow I'm tired. Maybe I'll just lie here for a moment before…._

Harry yawned and stretched, a little disoriented as he woke up, until he realized that he was still on the floor of Dumbledore's office. _Well that was weird, I don't think anything happened. I hope Dumbledore isn't disappointed in me…hey where is Dumbledore?_

He looked around again and realized that the headmaster, Ginny and even Fawkes were gone. He noticed something else amiss, everything was completely silent. The clock, while still running, had stopped ticking and the contraptions on the table were still twirling but no longer whirring. He took a step and realized that no matter how hard he stamped his feet, he couldn't hear his footsteps. _I don't like this…I don't like this at all,_ he thought as he left the office in search of answers.

He walked through the deserted castle onto the equally deserted grounds. He squinted as he walked outside as the sun was abnormally bright. So bright in fact, that it caused everything to look far too light, like film that was slightly overexposed.

He made his was down to the lake and sat beneath his favorite tree. He brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his shins. He was feeling very uncomfortable; there was just something very eerie about being able to feel the wind against his face and see it shake the branches, but not being able to hear the leaves rustle. He also couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched.

"Hullo Harry!" a voice boomed from behind him.

Harry jumped up, spun around, and pulled his wand faster than you could say 'flobberworm.'

"Whoa there Harry, sorry, didn't mean to startle you. I forgot that you couldn't hear me approaching here. I should know better than to sneak up on you, especially after all that extra training that you have been doing lately."

Harry just stood there gaping, unable to move.

"And what do you think you are going to do with that?" the man asked referring to the wand Harry was still pointing at him. "It's not going to do anything, I'm already dead."

"Sirius?" Harry choked out dropping his arm. Sure enough it was, but he looked younger than Harry remembered him and his eyes had lost the haunted look, given to him from those twelve years of hell in Azkaban.

"In the flesh…well, so to speak. Sorry it took me so long to get here, I had to fill out some last minute paper work. You see, spirit journeys aren't usually my thing. They actually have spirit guides that specialize in this, but your parents and I made such a fuss about one of us coming that they finally relented and let me come."

"Oh…" Harry said still confused. "I'm sorry, it's all my fault, if I hadn't--"

"Harry, stop thinking that right now. My death was not, in any shape, way or form, your fault. We all have a time to die and that was my time. Trust me, if you hadn't run off to the Ministry then I probably would have slipped in the shower and broken my neck, which isn't nearly as cool. You gave me a chance to go out fighting, I had a bloody brilliant death, which believe, me makes a difference with some of the ladies over here. For example, last night I was at a party and Queen Elizabeth was there and let me tell you that that girl knows how to party…" he trailed of with a childish grin.

Harry just stood there completely gob smacked, unable to believe what he was hearing. Apparently the other side was party central and his dead godfather was hooking up the dead Queen of England. So he could only say the first, if not inappropriate, thing that popped into his head, "But wasn't she really old when she died?"

"Yeah," Sirius answered unfazed by the randomness of the question, "but everyone is 25 over there and boy is she limber. But that is a story that I will save for when you're dead," he said when he remembered who he was talking to.

"And when will that be?" Harry asked suddenly concerned.

"That, I don't know. I don't have clearance and they wouldn't tell me."

Harry stood there, trying to absorb everything that was happening when Sirius put an arm around his shoulder.

"I know this is a lot to take in, but the reason I wanted to come so badly instead of some random sprit guide, was so that I could let you know just how proud your parents and I are of you. You have grown so much in the past eight months and the dedication you have shown is truly amazing and proof that you have what it takes to face all the obstacles in your life."

"My parents are proud of me?" he asked a little more choked up than he would have liked to admit.

"Of course they are! How could they not be? They have been watching over you every moment of your life and have seen you come out on top every time and face every adversity that you encounter and become the amazing person that you are. They only wish that they could be there to help you through it. But they love you more than anything."

Harry didn't say anything, but went to sit on the waters edge letting the knowledge that his parents were proud of him wash over him. After a moment he glanced over at Sirius, who had sat down next to him, and noticed that he looked like he was listening to something.

"They want me to tell you what you came here to find out," he said after a moment.

"You keep referring to 'they,' or 'them.' Who are 'they'?"

"Ya know, I don't know exactly," Sirius said after considering the question for a moment. "They, them, the powers that be, the all knowing ones, those who we can thank for our blessings and blame for our problems. But regardless, they have conferred amongst themselves and deemed you worthy of their help. And that is saying something, because the last person they helped was Joan of Arc."

Harry frowned, "But that didn't exactly turn out too great for her in the end. Are 'they' at least going to make sure I win?"

"That Harry, I am afraid I can't tell you. They told me again and again that they would kill me, metaphorically of course, if I tell you anything except what they want me to tell you. Frankly, I don't even know if they know. I think that's why they finally decided to help."

"So since I have been deemed _worthy_ of 'their' help, what exactly are 'they' going to do?" Harry asked sarcastically, already not a big fan of 'them.' _Aren't these the same 'they' that predetermined my fate with this stupid prophecy, so they should be the ones to help. All powerful or not, if they decided not to help, I would've had to have a few choice words with 'them.'_

"Don't mock them Harry, be glad they decided to help you. They can give you more power than you could ever imagine and you're going to need it if you are going to carry out their plan."

"Well if 'they' have the power and the plan, then why don't 'they' do something about it and leave me be!"

"Because you are the key, you are the plan. You already posses a power that they can't give you that will make this plan possible."

Harry considered this for a moment, "So what is this plan exactly?"

"Come Harry, lets take a walk."

They stood and walked slowly back towards the empty castle while Sirius informed Harry of the plan. Once he had finished, Harry wasn't sure what to think.

"So," Harry finally spoke. "Let me get this straight. When the time comes, I'm supposed to say that incantation and they will infuse me with more ancient power than one person has ever possessed."

Sirius nodded.

"Then I have to call on my power and use it to…"

He nodded again.

"Will it hurt them?" Harry asked concerned.

"No. It might surprise them and perhaps drain them a little bit, because you are drawing even more power from them. But unfortunately, the only person that this might harm, besides Voldemort of course, is you, because all that magical power in one person has a very real chance of overloading your system."

Harry though this over, "Then that is just a chance I am going to have to take."

"Good man Harry, your parents will be so proud to hear that," Sirius said clapping Harry on the shoulder and pulling him into a kind of sideways hug. By this time they had made it back to the gargoyle in front of the entrance to Dumbledore's office. "This is where I leave you. It's about time for you to wake up anyways. Dumbledore and Ginny are waiting for you."

"Yeah, I don't want them to worry, especially since Ginny was nice enough to give up her Valentine's Day for this."

"Yes," Sirius said with an appraising glance, "you certainly have been spending quite a bit of time with young Ms. Weasley recently. You seem quite attached to her."

"Well she is my best friend and she had been great helping me train and stuff. She's a great girl, a great person really."

"She most certainly is," Sirius said with a smirk.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"Nothing, I was just agreeing with you," he said innocently. "Just remember what your power is…"

"It's not like that, it's--"

"Sure it's not," he said, cutting Harry off. "Now get up there and tell them they were right."

"Bye Sirius," Harry said giving his godfather a hug.

"Bye Harry."

Harry made his way back into Dumbledore's empty office and he suddenly felt very tired once more. _Maybe I'll just sit down for a second while I figure out how to get back. _But before he could he had already fallen to the floor. When he opened his eyes he noticed he was lying on the couch. _Oh my head, I must have hit it on the ground when I fell,_ he thought with a groan.

Both Dumbledore and Ginny dropped their cards and rushed to Harry side when they heard him groan. (Dumbledore had taught Ginny how to play Gin Rummy to occupy the time while they waited for Harry to wake).

"How did it go Harry?" the elderly wizard asked.

Harry groaned again, "Sirius wanted me to tell you that both of you were right."

"What?" Ginny asked looking up at the headmaster, who she saw was just as perplexed by this response as she was.

"You both were right. You both told me at different times and both of you were right. My power…is love."

* * *

A/N So what did you guys think of this chapter? We are going to have one more time jump to the next chapter, then we are going to slow back down as we approach the final battle…..

I hope all the Staff work made sense, it's hard for me to tell since I have my black belt and can use a staff. I know what I'm talking about but I'm not sure if everyone else could….and let me assure you they weren't exaggerating when they hit each other on the knuckles because it hurts like a mother…….

And I don't know why but I really enjoyed the irony of Ginny learning how to play Gin Rummy….don't ask me I know I'm weird….

I'm about half way done with chapter 11 so hopefully it will be done soon….So until next time I hope you enjoyed this one!

B/N: Another excellent chapter, no? Tell colorofangels how much you love her story by reviewing!


	11. Goodbyes

A/N okay last time jump….at least for a few chapters…..A million thanks and cyber cookies to my awesome beta Augurey Song who keeps me from using words that don't exist…..animelluvr8 - this one is for you...and no I don't think I going to get this done but I hope you all continue to read it anyways because I have big plans!

* * *

_Dearest Ginny-_

Harry nibbled at the end of his quill as he tried to sort out everything that he wanted to say. He had already written six similar letters but this was by far the hardest. He looked up into the heavens, searching for inspiration.

A few hours ago, he had left the ruckus of the common room with its impromptu end of term party for the peace and solitude of the Astronomy Tower. He wasn't in the mood to party; he didn't really feel as if he had anything to celebrate. The end of the term just marked one more milestone before his last battle with Voldemort.

He knew that the inevitable was coming and he had one last task he wanted to get out of the way before he left Hogwarts for the year. He wanted to tell the people he cared about just how much they meant to him. He didn't really want to think about it this way, but he wanted to say goodbye, just in case…

He had written to Dumbledore and thanked him for being his mentor. He thanked him for trying so hard to protect him, even if he hadn't always appreciated it. He also wrote to Mrs. Weasley thanking her for unofficially adopting him into the family and being the closest thing to a mother he had ever known. He had written a joint letter to Lupin and Tonks thanking them for preparing him the best they could. He also told them that life was too short and they weren't fooling anyone, so they needed to get over their personal issues and just admit to everyone that they were a couple. He even wrote a note to Hagrid, thanking him for simply being a part of his life and being Hagrid. He wrote very lengthy letters to both Ron and Hermione, thanking them both for being his first and best friends over the past six years and always standing by him. He also said that if he didn't make it, that they should take comfort in each other.

Ginny was his last letter to write and he didn't know what to say. He finally decided to just tell her the truth and say exactly how he felt.

_Dearest Ginny-_

_The realization that as you read this I might never see you again makes me recognize that I have to tell you the truth. I have to confess my true feelings for you…_

Once he started writing, the words poured out of his heart and onto the page. Before he knew it, he was signing it--

_Now and Forever,_

_Harry_

Harry slipped the finished letter into his bag with the others and stood at the edge of the tower, taking in the view. He heard the door open and knew it was the very person that was occupying his thoughts.

"Hey Gin," he said without turning around.

"Hey there Harry," she replied, joining him at the edge of the tower. They stood together not saying anything for a moment.

"How did you know I was up here?" he asked finally.

"Well, I saw you leave the party and when you didn't come back after three hours, I started to worry, so I went and got the map out of your trunk."

"You went through my stuff without asking?"

"Yeah, but it's not like you ever care."

Harry shrugged, "That's true, it's not like you haven't gone through it a million times before, I've given up on finding it irritating."

"I guess since you're up here, you weren't really in the party mood?"

Harry just shrugged again.

"So, what are you doing up here in the cold."

"Well we all need to have special quiet places to think now and then," he said turning to look at her for the first time.

"And roofs are fantastic places to think," she said with a small smile as she recognized the words she had once said coming from Harry.

Harry gave her a small smile back before turning to look back out into the distance. "You never did take me up on the roof at Number 12 last summer."

"Well we can go up tomorrow after we get there. I can't believe this year is already over, it went by so fast. Between OWLS and helping you train and Dean, I don't know where all the time went," Ginny marveled. "Oh that reminds me, I wanted to warn you that I wont be seeing you on the train tomorrow because I promised Dean I would spend it with him. I think it's the least I could do since I have been such an awful girlfriend lately, ignoring him so much."

Harry nodded in acknowledgement, but didn't say anything.

"So," Ginny said trying to engage him in conversation, "this is the first time that you're not going back to the Dursleys'. Are you excited?"

Harry gave a half shrug half nod.

"Well, I for one am glad that you are coming home with us right from the beginning. I was talking to Lupin yesterday when he was here and we were thinking that we could convert a part of the basement into a training room so we could keep working over the summer…that is if you want to."

Harry turned and smiled, but the sadness that was so clear in his eyes was not lost on Ginny.

"Harry, you're making me work really hard to have a conversation with you tonight," she paused for a moment. "What did you come up here to think about tonight?" she asked, even though she was pretty sure she knew the answer.

Harry sighed, "The final battle."

"What about it? Unless you don't want to talk about it."

"Does it matter that I don't? Because we both know that I will end up telling you anyway. I can't help but to tell you, it's as if you put some strange spell on me." He considered this for a moment, "You didn't, did you?"

"No spell. What can I say? I just seem to have that effect on people," she said reaching out and giving his wrist a reassuring squeeze. "Now talk to me. What's going on in that messy haired head of yours?"

"I was just wondering how it was going to end…"

Ginny opened her mouth to say something, but Harry didn't give her a chance.

"I know I'm going to win, because I have to. I am not letting that crazy son of a bitch hurt anybody else that I love," he said looking at the redhead with such passion in his eyes that it startled her. "I'm going to win if it kills me."

Ginny could tell that there was no sarcasm in his last statement. He was absolutely altogether entirely serious. He looked back out into the horizon for a moment before speaking again.

"The prophecy says that one of us has to kill the other, but it doesn't say anything about what happens to the winner. It never says that if I win, that I will survive it," he stated simply, turning to look back at her.

If it hadn't been so dark, Harry might have seen Ginny pale at this revelation. She didn't know what to think; she had always known that Harry would beat Voldemort, and she had assumed that he would then get to live the rest of his life happily ever after. She had never considered the possibility that he might die in the process.

"I don't want to die," he said softly. "Last year at this time I might have welcomed it, but now, I have things…people…to live for," he said looking directly into Ginny's eyes. "But if I have to die to ensure that the people I love are safe, then that is what I will have to do."

She didn't know what to say, but she realized that it wasn't words that Harry needed at the moment. She closed the gap between them, wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him into a hug. He put his arms around her shoulders and pulled her even closer. She placed her head on his chest and he rested his head on hers.

As she listened to his heartbeat, she couldn't help but notice how well they fit together. i Almost like two puzzle pieces/i she thought. They stood there like that for a long while, both of them taking comfort in the arms of the other.

"You're trembling." Harry said, breaking the silence.

"I'm cold," Ginny lied.

"I'm sorry, we should get back inside."

"Alright," Ginny agreed reluctantly.

Harry was secretly sorry that she had agreed so easily, as he didn't want this moment to end.

When they reached the common room, Harry was happy to find it deserted, with only empty butterbeer bottles and Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes wrappers littering the common room as evidence of the celebration that had raged earlier that night.

"It's already after 2:30,"Ginny said, surprised it was so late. "We should probably get some sleep."

"I can't sleep yet," Harry said, sitting on the couch before the fire. "I think I'm going to stay down here for a little bit longer."

"Alright," Ginny said, moving towards the staircase that would lead her to her dorm.

"Ginny?" Harry called, causing the redhead to stop and turn around. "I know you're tired, but would you mind staying down here with me for a little while? I just don't want to be alone anymore tonight."

Ginny looked at him and was a little surprised by how young he suddenly looked. _Well he is still only sixteen, even if he does have the world on his shoulders._

"Of course I will," she said sitting down next to him.

"Thanks Gin, you're the best friend someone could ask for. I want you to promise me that no matter what happens, that you will always remember how much you mean to me."

"Of course Harry."

"Promise me," he insisted.

"Okay, I promise."

They sat together in a comfortable silence watching the fire burn down. Soon Harry felt his eyelids beginning to feel very heavy and he thought that he would just rest them for a moment…. When he opened them again, the early morning sun was filtering through the window. He was disoriented for a moment as he tried to figure out where he was and what was on top of him.

_Not what, who, _he thought as his mind defogged._ I wonder how this happened…. not that I'm protesting, but get up before anybody sees this._

He tucked an auburn lock behind one ear and lightly stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers. She snuggled up closer to him, mumbled something and gave him a little half smile in her sleep.

"Gin," he whispered. "Ginny," he said a little louder.

"Yes Harry…" she replied, still half asleep. Her eyes shot open in surprise, "Harry?"

"Shhh…we fell asleep down here last night, but I think that you should probably get off me so we can sneak back up to our dorms before anyone sees us."

Ginny felt a blush rising in her cheeks as she disentangled herself from Harry's limbs. "Yeah, you are probably right. We could also get a little more sleep since everyone else wont wake up for a few more hours." She laughed a little as they walked to the staircase, "Well, goodnight I guess."

"More like good morning," he too chuckled. "See you in a few hours."

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Harry was looking out the window, deep in thought, a forgotten copy of the Quibbler that Luna had given him hanging loosely from his hand, until he heard the door of the compartment slide open and someone sat down next to him. He was surprised when he turned around to see a very cheerful Ginny.

"Hey Gin, I thought you were riding with Dean," Harry said.

"Dean, who's Dean?"

"Dean, your prat of a boyfriend Dean," Ron answered looking up from his Quidditch magazine.

"I don't have a boyfriend," Ginny replied in mock confusion.

Ron stood up, "Did someone hit you with a memory charm?"

"Merlin's monkey Ron, you really are thick sometimes. I was being sarcastic because Dean and I just broke up.

"Oh Ginny, I'm sorry," Hermione said sympathetically.

"Don't be, I'm not. I haven't felt this free in forever. We really should have broken up months ago because it just hasn't been working. I honestly don't know why he has put up with it, I've been an awful girlfriend, ignoring him all the time. I'm glad he finally ended it and put us both out of our misery," Ginny told her friends as if it were the final word on the subject.

"So why did you finally breakup?" Hermione asked.

"Apparently he doesn't like to go down to the common room in the middle of the night looking for something he misplaced and finding his girlfriend sleeping with another man on their one year anniversary," Ginny explained with a straight face.

All the color slowly drained from Ron's face, Hermione looked slightly scandalized and Harry tried not to laugh.

"What?" Ron managed to choke out.

"It's alright, it was only Harry."

Ron turned to his best mate. "What?" he asked on the verge of hysterics.

Harry laughed harder as he explained that they had been talking in the common room and had fallen asleep on the couch, so technically, they had slept together.

"Oh okay," Ron said relieved. He turned his attention back to his sister, "Then it didn't mean anything. So why didn't you tell him that is was harmless."

"I did, but how would you feel if you found Hermione asleep on the couch with Seamus in the middle of the night?"

"But that's different, everyone knows how close you and Harry are," Ron insisted.

"But does that make it better or worse?" Hermione interjected thoughtfully.

"He is still a git if that's why he broke up with you," Ron grumbled.

"Ron, you never liked us together so why are you so upset that we've broke up? And besides, who said that he broke up with me?"

Harry leaned towards her, "I think you did Gin."

"Oh, okay. But for the last time, I'm glad we broke up. I'm happy, thrilled, elated, excited and a whole bunch of other words that I would use if I had access to a thesaurus. Besides," she said with a shudder, "he had ugly feet."

Ron started laughing, but Harry and Hermione just looked confused, which only made Ron laugh harder.

"Don't tell me you guys have never heard about Ginny's foot obsession?

"I do not have a foot obsession!" she squealed, throwing Harry's Quibbler at Ron.

"Okay, you have an anti-foot obsession." Ron said laughing harder. "You should have seen it when we were younger, Fred and George used to pin her down and touch her with their feet and she would practically have a heart attack."

"I hate feet! They are ugly and gross and completely unnatural and I don't like them touching me thank you very much," Ginny explained indignantly, not seeing Ron quietly slipping off his shoes.

"Ginny," Ron said in a singsong voice.

"What do you wa-- Ahhh Ron! Get those things out of my face!" Ginny tried to jump out of his reach but she tripped over Harry's foot falling to the floor right where her brother wanted her.

"Should we stop them?" Hermione asked Harry as the siblings wrestled on the floor.

"No," Harry shrugged. "Ginny is more than capable of taking care of herself, but if I were Ron I would be getting up soon."

Just as Harry said this, Ginny 'accidentally' kneed Ron in the crotch causing him to fall into a heap in the corner.

"See what I mean?" Harry said to Hermione causally. "Although, it looks like you might not be able to have kids anymore."

Ginny carefully picked herself up, dusted herself off, glared at the heap on the floor and sat back down next to Harry. Ron just looked up at his girlfriend with watery eyes, looking for sympathy.

"Don't look at me," Hermione said looking stern, "you deserved that." However it only took a little whimper from Ron to make her sigh, roll her eyes and help him up anyway.

The next few hours were spent just how four teenagers, on their way home after a long school year, should spend a few free hours. They played games, talked, laughed, reminisced, joked and overall just had fun.

They had just finished reliving the time that Neville's cauldron had exploded in Potions and landed on Malfoy, causing his hair to turn bright pink, when they fell into a comfortable silence.

"Hey, guys…" Harry said suddenly breaking the silence.

They looked at him expectantly.

"I just wanted to tell you that you all have been the best friends someone could hope for, and it's been an honor to know you all."

"Harry why are you talking like this?"

"Please Hermione, let me finish. I want you to know that I consider you my family, the only family I have ever known, and I care about you more than I could ever express in words."

Ron, Hermione and Ginny sat in shocked silence as Harry pulled three letters out of his pocket.

"I wrote these for you, I wrote a few others as well, Hedwig is delivering them now. Ginny, I told Hedwig to go back to you, I was hoping that you would look after her."

Harry held out the letters. Ron and Hermione took theirs, but Ginny just stared at hers, refusing to take it.

"Harry, what is that? What is going on? Why is Hedwig coming back to me? Is this what last night was about?"

"Please just take the letter," Harry pleaded.

"No! I don't want it!"

"Please Gin, just take it and read it once I'm gone."

Ginny was going to protest again, but was interrupted by the slowing of the train.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked, "We're in the middle of nowhere. We won't be in London for another two hours."

"This is my stop," Harry whispered, his voice stained in sorrow. He turned and crossed to the door, but he hesitated when his hand reached the handle. Without turning around he said, "You're definitely broken up with Dean right?"

Ginny looked at him as if she had never seen him before, dazed by how quickly everything was happening and completely taken aback at the odd turn of events. "Yeah, but what does that have to do with--"

But before she could finish her thought, Harry had taken the two strides over to her, taken her in his arms and was kissing her. She gave a small muffled cry of surprise, but then began kissing him back. As the kiss deepened and grew more intense, he pulled her closer and arched her backwards so that he was completely supporting her. Before she knew what was happening he had righted her, slipped the letter into her hand, and swept out of the compartment.

Ron, Hermione and Ginny, unable to move, unable to comprehend what had just happened, stood there staring at each other, unsure of what to do. Ron, suddenly realizing that Harry was gone, tried to follow, but crashed into an invisible barrier that seemed to be holding them inside.

"What is he doing?" Hermione said spotting Harry through the window.

The two redheads quickly joined the brunette and watched helplessly as Harry walked into the middle of the empty meadow then stopped, seemingly waiting for something. All three of them to a sharp breath when they saw eleven Death Eaters emerge from the woods and walk out to meet him.

"Has he gone nutters? He doesn't even have his wand out, that's bloody suicide!" Ron muttered to no one in particular as they watched Harry and Voldemort's lackeys have some sort of discussion.

The trio watched in horror as all eleven Death Eaters pulled out their wands and shot Harry with stunners simultaneously just as the train began to move again. Hermione cried out and buried her face in Ron's chest, who was seething in silent fury. Ginny launched herself at the window and pounded on the glass.

"NO, NO, NOOOOO! HARRY! OH GODS HARRY, NO!"

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A/N Dun dun dun…..So what did you guys think….Well I'm going to be gone all until Monday so I'm hoping this will tide you over until I get back…but if I have a lot of reviews waiting for me when I get home I might be convinced to work extra hard to get the next chapter finished.

B/N: And the plot thickens…the more you review, the faster we'll try to get the chappies up! We're trying to fight our summer lethargies to update, and reviews only speed up that process!


	12. Reactions

A/N I'm so sorry! I know I left you with an awful cliffhanger and then didn't update for forever but I went out of town on three separate occasions and I had a bit of a writers block on this one……I know it's not an excuse but here it is and I hope it was worth waiting for because it was a bit of a challenge for me…. I know this is a shorter one but I hope you enjoy it all the same…and everyone needs to give some love to Augurey Song who is my fabulous beta...

And thank you everyone who reviewed...even the threatening ones (treck, SaintEmo) lol...and i dont want anyone to die (Ragnorak, harrysangel)...To magiclifer and Samantha + Brigid - chapter 13 will answer your questions as it picks up from the moment he leaves the compartment...To Amanda - yes we all will find out exactly what was in the letter but not for awhile so youre just going to have to stick with me...thank you to everyone else who reviewed you enthusiasm really inspires me to work harder and faster...so a million cyber cookies to you!

A special shout out for Sirael for being my 100th reviewer! throws a party but I dont suppose you went to Moorpark did you?

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"NOOO! No no no no no no no! Harry, come back! Why? God damnit why!" Ginny cried hysterically, pounding her fists against the window as the train began to pick up steam. She watched helplessly as one of the Death Eaters picked up Harry's lifeless body and threw it over his shoulder as if he was a sack of potatoes, then disappear right as the train went around a bend.

When she lost sight of the spot where Harry had stood, her knees gave out from under her and she slid down the wall into a crumpled heap on the floor. From where she lay, she could hear Hermione's muffled sobs and Ron release a string of cursing that would have made Mundungus blush. However, it didn't even register with Ginny, as she was concentrating on trying to catch her breath.

Ginny hadn't even moved from that spot when about ten minutes later the compartment door burst open and Dumbledore swept into the room, his robes billowing behind him.

"Where's Harry?" Dumbledore asked seriously, looking at each of the remaining teens in turn.

Ginny couldn't bear to answer, so she looked to the others. Hermione was still sobbing into Ron's chest who was bright red and looked so angry that he seemed in danger of exploding.

"Gone," Ron finally managed to choke out.

Ginny looked up at the headmaster for the first time since his arrival and saw that he had what she assumed was his letter from Harry clutched in his left hand and his wand, held at the ready, in his right.

To hear Ron say it out loud took her breath away, and she had to focus on simply taking air into her lungs once more. This took so much effort that she didn't even hear her name being called until someone kneeled down beside her. She glanced up again and saw Hermione and Ron holding onto the forgotten copy of The Quibbler.

"It's time to go," Dumbledore said quietly.

She didn't remember doing it, but Ginny somehow found herself standing and grasping the magazine along with the others. After a familiar tug behind her navel, she found herself in the kitchen of Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

"Oh, thank heavens!" Mrs. Weasley cried, jumping up from the table when she saw them, "But where is Harry?"

"I was too late Molly," Dumbledore said sadly.

"What! What happened?"

"I don't know yet," he replied, glancing at the other new arrivals, "but I think we should wait for the others to arrive before we try to find out, so we only have to go through it once."

At that moment Tonks and Lupin fell through the fire. "Professor, we got your alert. Where's Harry? Is he okay? We just got this letter from him and it sounds like he was saying…" Lupin trailed off as he saw the horrified look on Mrs. Weasley's face and Dumbledore motioned for them to join the others who were seated at the table.

While they waited for the rest of the Order to arrive, Ginny watched blankly as both Ron and Hermione opened and read their letters. Silent tears fell in rapid succession from Hermione's eyes as she read Harry's message and even Ron was tearing up by the time he put the letter down and pulled his girlfriend into a comforting embrace.

With no one to give or take comfort from, Ginny just sat there, staring at her shaking hands sitting in her lap, where she held onto Harry's letter and his copy of the Quibbler. Her mother had tried to take the magazine away from her upon their arrival, but she had refused to let go. He had been reading it only a few hours ago and it was like a lifeline for her to him.

She was in such a state of shock that she was completely oblivious to what was going on around her and hence, had no idea that all the other members of the Order of the Phoenix had arrived until Dumbledore placed a hand on her shoulder and called the emergency meeting to order.

"I am sure you are all wanting to know why I have called you here on such short notice. The reason you are here is because at this very moment, somewhere, Harry Potter is fighting the final battle in the war against Lord Voldemort." Several people flinched but the headmaster took no notice and continued. "It is all going to end tonight and we need to do everything we can do to help. However, we have no idea as to where this battle is taking place and we need to find out everything we can, so hopefully one of you," he looked at the three teens, "can tell us what happened."

Ginny looked at Ron, Ron looked at Ginny, then they both looked at Hermione, who by this time had stopped crying, and silently elected her to relay what happened on the train. Hermione looked at the two redheads and saw that she was out voted and began to tell the tale.

"Honestly, there is not much to tell. We were sitting in the compartment talking, when Harry got very serious and started going on about friendship and family and how much we meant to him and then he handed us our letters and…"

Hermione continued talking, but Ginny had stopped listening. All she could think about was how he was gone, gone, gone, gone, gone. She was only vaguely aware that Hermione tactfully skipped over the part where Harry kissed her and she brought a trembling hand up to her mouth where she could still feel and taste his lips on hers. She looked around the room and suddenly nothing felt real. She felt like she was in a dream, or watching a play take place. Everything just felt wrong and surreal.

"Why did Harry let himself be captured like that, and what makes you so sure that this is going to be the final battle?" Hestia asked eventually.

"Well," the old wizard said, "I suppose it is time everyone knows. You all know that there was a prophecy made about Harry and Voldemort before Harry's birth, but what you don't know is what it says. It basically foretold that either he or Voldemort would die at the hand of the other. Harry is the only one who can defeat him and I believe that he allowed himself to be taken so that this can all finally end."

"But Harry always said that he didn't know when the final battle was going to be. But these letters show that he was prepared," Lupin mentioned.

"By the looks of these letters and from what Hermione said, it looks like he thinks he is going to lose," Bill muttered, voicing what everyone was thinking.

That was it; all the emotions that Ginny had been suppressing bubbled over at once.

"Of course he knew it was going to happed today!" she spat at her former professor. "He **lied** to you, just like he lied to me, to all of us. And I should have seen it a mile away. Last night makes perfect sense now! How sad he looked when I talked about the things we would do this summer," she said laughing in a dark and unnatural sort of way. "'I don't want to be alone tonight Ginny.' 'Promise that you will always remember how much you mean to me Ginny.' 'I don't want to die, but I'll win if it kills me Ginny!'"

Her eyes were flashing with raw power and emotion and the whole room was staring at her with a mix of shock at her outburst, horror at what she was saying, and fear at what she might do next.

"And you!" she said rounding on her oldest sibling. "How dare you say that Harry might not win! Of course he is going to win and I can't believe that you would have the gall to even think otherwise--"

"But Ginny," Ron interrupted quietly. "We don't know for sure what is going to happen and neither does he. Remember I woke him up before he saw how it ended?" he said, obviously still beating himself up over it.

"That doesn't matter anymore. I know he is going to win and he knows he is going to win and that should be enough for the rest of you," she was now speaking in a deadly whisper through her gritted teeth. "He has a plan; Sirius gave him a plan which he is going to use to win." She looked around the room as if she had just noticed she had everyone's attention. "It's just that he doesn't know what's going to happen after he wins…he doesn't know if he…" her voice broke as tears began to well up in her eyes, "he doesn't know…if he is going to survive it."

Her anger once again boiled up, even as tears began streaming down her face. "So why are we just sitting here discussing this? We should be out there helping him! He is doing this for us so that we might have a chance at a life free from fear and sorrow and all this violence and we're sitting around like we're here for a bloody cup of tea! WHY AREN'T WE DOING ANYTHING! We should be out there; I should be out there with him! He practically told me yesterday but I was to blind to see what he was saying. I should have told someone, I should have gone with him, instead he is out there alone, he could be dying--" her hand flew up to her mouth in horror at what she just heard herself say.

_No, he is not dying, he cannot die, I'm not going to take some bloody letter as a goodbye because he isn't going to die, _she thought desperately. Everyone turned and looked as Hedwig flew into the kitchen and into the hallway to go upstairs_. Except she is going to my room, not his because he told her that I would look after her_, she thought darkly.

"I think I'm going to be sick," she announced suddenly as she made to move towards the bathroom.

However, a chill passed through the room that made her feel light headed and stopped her in her tracks. She was going to bring it up when suddenly Hermione collapsed, Ron jumped to her side, gave Ginny a queer look and too passed out. Ginny was on the verge of having a complete breakdown when a voice that was not her own spoke in her head, and she suddenly understood the look Ron was giving her.

_**Ginny, I need your help.**_

_Harry! What's going on?_

_**There is no time now; Ron and Hermione are already here. I just need to know if you are willing to help me.**_

_Of course Harry, I will do anything._

_**Thank you.**_

Ginny felt as if she were plunging into a warm bath as everything around her turned fuzzy and gray then black.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ginny sat straight up and looked around desperately as she gasped for air. She could sense Ron and Hermione stirring in the beds next to her but she ignored them, having more important things to worry about. Her mother, Dumbledore, and Lupin rushed to her side when they saw her awaken.

"Oh my goodness, Ginny are you alright!" Mrs. Weasley asked kneeling at her side.

Ginny put up a hand to silence her mother as she struggled to find her voice. "I know where Harry is--"

"Is it over?" the headmaster questioned.

She nodded solemnly, willing herself not to pass out again out of sheer exhaustion. "He asked me, to ask you to bring his bo-…to bring _him_ home."

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A/N And there it is…was it worth the wait? I know, I know, I answered none of you questions and raised all kinds of others….but besides that what did you think? I promise that the next chapter will answer all kinds of questions such as, what happened to Harry after he got off the train, or where is Harry, or what happened to everyone when they passed out, or the big one how did the battle turn out and did Harry survive it…dun dun dun….if there are any other questions you have stick them in a review and if I haven't already answered it in the next chapter then I will try to do so…I promise the wait wont be as long for the next chapter I already have started it….

B/N: And the plot thickens….Another brilliant, shiny new chapter! Anyone who wants a faster update say "review!"


	13. Battles

A/N I know I know, two awful cliffhangers in a row and only more unanswered questions….But here are the answers to all your questions…since the last chapter was so short I hope this one makes up for it…..also my Beta is busy vacationing in India (what is she thinking having fun like that just kidding, you know I heart you Rhea) so this chapter is unbeta-ed so if there are mistakes don't hurt me….I'll post beta-ed chapters when she gets back I just didn't think you all wanted to wait …..

So just as promised this chapter picks up right where chapter 11 leaves off and by the end you will all understand Ginny's last comment...thank you to all who reviewed so far but the award for the best review of the last chapter has to go to Samantha+Brigid because that was freakin awsome...lol... so this is kind of an intense chapter (in my opinion) and I'm attaching a major BYOT warning so I hope you enjoy!

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Harry quickly righted Ginny and without a word swept out of the compartment. Once in the hallway he muttered an incantation to place a barrier on the door to seal his friends inside. If this plan was going to work, he needed to know his were friends safe. Once he was confident that the others could not follow him, he leaned against the wall out of sight and waited for his heartbeat to slow and his hands to stop trembling. It wasn't what he was about to do that was rattling him so badly, but what he had just done.

_I can't believe I just kissed Ginny_, he thought as he banged the back of his head against the wall a couple times. _But what a kiss that was. At least if I die, I will always know what it was like. In fact, I better hope I die, because after that both she and Ron are probably wanting to kill me…. I hope that didn't make her angry, I would hate if the last thing I ever did was make her angry with me. Oh well, I kissed her and she has the letter so there is nothing I can do about that now. I guess it's time to put my game face on and get this show on the road._

Once he had collected himself, he ran his hand through his hair, stepped purposefully off of the train and marched into the empty field that he knew was not going to be empty much longer. He stood up a little straighter and lifted his chin a little higher when he saw eleven Death Eaters emerge from the woods at the edge of the meadow.

"There you all are," Harry called. "Took you all long enough to get here. I thought I was going to have to wait all day and you know it's bad manners to keep someone waiting, especially in a kidnapping."

Several of the Death Eaters faltered at Harry obvious confidence. Their orders had been to take him off the train, they weren't expecting him to be in the middle of an empty meadow waiting for them.

"Don't worry, this isn't a trap," Harry told those who were looking around suspiciously. "No, I was just making it easier on you guys, as you have a tendency to foul things up if left to your own devices. I mean look at what happened the last time you tried to capture me. I hear that Goyle is really enjoying the view from his cell in Azkaban and how could Pettigrew _not_ have enjoyed having his soul sucked out, not that he had much of one to begin with."

"Shut it Potter! I have had enough of your insolence," one of the Death Eaters said stepping forward.

"Is that you Nott?" Harry said patronizingly, "Did Voldemort make you the leader? I bet your mother is so proud. Although, he must have about as much faith in you to get this right as I did or else he wouldn't have felt the need to send…" he quickly counted pointing to each of them in turn, "eleven grown wizards to fetch one sixteen year old boy. Now that's just sad really, so your mother probably isn't that proud of you. Granted, personally I wouldn't know the difference because my mother is dead, but that's alright because I'm going to kill the man who did it before the nights over." Harry dropped the conversationally jovial tone and took a step forward, "And you had better be careful Nott or you will be joining him."

Nott ripped off his mask, his fury evident on his face and pulled out his wand, ready to kill Harry right then and there. Even though through his dreams, he knew what was going to happen, Harry's heart skipped a beat and his stomach dropped, but he forced himself to keep his cool and collected demeanor.

Just as Nott was pulling back his arm to shoot the killing curse at Harry, another Death Eater reached out and grabbed his wrist.

"You know we can't kill him, the Dark Lord wants him alive, he wants to finish him off himself."

"Ahh, Bellatrix, Voldemort wasn't to happy with you after you messed up last time, so you're being extra careful to follow orders this time around. But it doesn't matter because no matter how careful you are tonight, you're not going to see the morning. Now I'm tiring of this conversation so why don't you just stun me now so we can go."

Just before he closed his eyes he saw all eleven Death Eaters pulling out their wands, as he saw the red flashed of light coming at him through his closed eyelids he thought, _Now this is going to hurt. Just remember who you are doing this for, sometimes a cause is worth a sacrifice_. Then everything went black.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Oi,_ Harry thought to himself as when he became all too aware of exactly what effect getting shot with eleven stunners simultaneously has on a persons body. _Maybe I shouldn't have taunted them quite so much…Naw they would have done it anyways and at least I got some enjoyment out of it._

He groaned quietly as he opened his eyes and looked at his surroundings for the first time. He was outside and the sun was low in the sky but he could see houses in the distance. He turned around and saw rubble where he assumed a house once stood. Something about all of it seemed eerily familiar, but he didn't have time to dwell on it as his return to consciousness did not go unnoticed for long.

"Get up Potter," a Death Eater, whose voice Harry didn't recognize, ordered.

"Aww, but I'm so comfortable down here," he said as he waited for his head to stop spinning.

"Get Up Potter!"

"I'll get up when I'm good and ready," Harry glowered at the minion as he gingerly brought one hand up to his forehead where his scar was on fire.

"I said GET UP!" the man moved to grab Harry by the shoulder and force him to stand.

"Don't touch me!" Harry raged, throwing up a hand and launching him ten feet in the air, landing some thirty feet away.

Harry noticed with some satisfaction that the rest of the Death Eaters took a half step away from him. He did stand, however, when he saw a cloaked figure emerge from the wreckage of the house.

"Impressive Potter, most impressive," Voldemort drawled as he approached, giving a few half hearted claps of applause. "Although it's going to take more than parlor tricks to keep you alive tonight."

"Hullo Tom, long time no see. Did you miss me? I was afraid we might miss our yearly appointment for me to kick your ass, so I gave your flunkeys a hand."

"Such bravado Potter, but I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you. Especially since it was right over there that I killed you father, then your mother, then where I almost killed you. I assure you I wont fail this time."

Harry's stomach dropped, that was why everything seemed familiar, they were in Godrics Hollow. Harry's first impulse was telling him to find the nearest bed and to hide under it, but he forced himself to hold his ground.

Sirius's voice ran through his head, reiterating one of the pieces of advice his godfather had given him upon their last meeting. _A convincing front of false bravery is almost as good as the real thing_. With this mantra running through his head he kept his cool and spoke to Voldemort as if he did this everyday.

"Yes, and that didn't turn out to well for you last time now did it. And _I_ assure _you_ that this time wont end any differently." Harry was impressed with himself on how strong and even his voice remained even while his head was exploding with pain and he was so scared that his knees were shaking.

"Well as entertaining as this little exchange has been, it's time to prove you wrong." Voldemort pulled his wand hand back and exclaimed, "AVADA KE--"

"Really now Tom, are you that slow of a learner?" Much to Harry's relief, Voldemort stopped mid curse. "You know as well as I do, that a killing curse on me, has an adverse affect on you. And I would really hate to see this encounter end so soon. So I'm afraid that you are going to have to find so other way to attempt to kill me."

Voldemort looked at Harry, appraising him carefully while the teen hoped and prayed to all that is holy, that the dark wizard believed him. Harry honestly had no idea what effect the killing curse would have on him, but he really didn't care to find out.

"Fine Potter, have it your way. I would much rather watch you die slowly, perhaps by bleeding to death," Voldemort said throwing several cutting curses at Harry.

Harry didn't move or flinch as the curses hit him making deep gashes in both of his cheeks, his right thigh and his left side. A slow smile spread across his face as he felt the blood trickling down his body making soft splattering noises as it hit the ground.

"Thank you," he said before closing his eyes, reaching his arms out to his sides and muttering to himself.

"What is he doing?" Voldemort raged, suddenly realizing he had been tricked. "Stop him! KILL HIM!"

The Death Eaters, who had been watching the exchange in silence suddenly sprang into action.

"CRUCIO!"

"REDUCTO!"

"STUPEFY!"

"IMPEDIMENTA!"

"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!"

"DIFFINDO!"

"TARANTALLEGRA!"

"EXPELLIARMUS!"

Voldemort's henchmen were trying every curse they could think of, but a soft glow was rising around Harry and all the curses simply bounced off of him and back into the crowd hitting the ground or even their fellow Death Eaters.

"Guardians of time and space  
Guardians of heaven and hell  
Guardians of good and evil  
Guardians of the living and the dead  
Guardians of what has always been and what will always be  
Guardians of all and none, hear my plea  
As my blood is spilled by my enemy,  
Guardians hear my plea."

Harry didn't see it, but because of his dreams he knew that by this time, Bellatrix had been hit by her own reductor curse and was now lying dead in a heap on the ground. _Well I warned her,_ Harry thought darkly as he felt the channel to 'them' opening up, signaling his cue to go on.

"Guardians, bless me with the power to do what is right  
The power to do what must be done  
The power to do your will.

"Guardians, bless me with the ability to protect those who must be protected  
The ability to defeat those who must be defeated  
The ability to do your will.

"Guardians, bless me with the voice to speak out against those who wrong others  
The voice to speak for those who have been silenced  
The voice to do your will.

"Guardians, infuse me with your power  
Infuse me with your ability  
Infuse me with your voice  
Infuse me with your will."

Harry felt like a part of his mind that he had never used before was suddenly unlocking as raw power surged through his veins. He felt as if the whole world was at his finger tips and he felt his forged confidence turn into real confidence. _Well that seemed to have worked, I might actually be able to do this after all, _he thought to himself_. Now lets see what I can do._

He lowered the shield that he had unknowingly placed around himself. Voldemort was watching him with a mixture of surprise and fury.

"I don't know what that was Potter, but this ends now! AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Harry watched as the green bolt of light came at him in what felt like slow motion. He put out a hand and created a shield that easily repelled the curse. He looked at his hand in surprise before turning his attention back to the dark wizard.

"You're going to have to do better than that Tom. I have 'them' on my side now. What do you have, a bunch of cowards who are trying to run away?" Harry said referring to the group of Death Eaters who were now trying to slink away unnoticed. With a wave of his hand and a blink of an eye they were bound with invisible ropes and placed in a line. "I wouldn't want you all to miss the end of the show, we're entering the third act now."

He closed his eyes once more, it was now time to enter phase two of the plan and for this he was going to need help. Three of the people he needed help from already knew about the plan and were expecting his call from the other side. No sooner than Harry used his new power to send a call into the beyond, had his mother, father, and his godfather materialized by his side.

The other three people were not as prepared to be called on and he had to reach out to them and ask if they were willing to help. Harry swelled with admiration for his friends when they all agreed, without any sort of hesitation, to help him, even though they had no idea as to what they were agreeing to. Not long after his aide from the other side had arrived, his best friends in the living world joined him as well.

"Harry! Where are we? What's going on? How did we get here?" Hermione asked in rapid succession as soon as she materialized.

"There's no time to explain," Harry said as he surrounded everyone in a barrier to block the curses Voldemort threw at him. "I'll have to show you."

Harry then opened a mental link to his friends and showed them exactly what had happened since he left them on the train, as he relived the past hour or so he was impressed with his own daring. He then showed them the plan for what he was going to do next. Even as he was fielding curses, he was able to experience the memory that he was sending to his friends with them.

"_So I say that spell and hopefully open a channel to 'them' and they lend me all of this ancient power so that I will be able to do those other spells?" Harry asked his godfather as they walked along the lake._

"_Yes and that extra power will temporarily make you the most powerful wizard in the world so that you will be able to perform both the enjoining spell and the conduit spell at the same time. Now both of those are extremely difficult, primeval and powerful pieces of ancient majiks. They originated in ancient Samaria around the time of….well the history isn't important. What is though, is how you will do it as they haven't been done in centuries and never simultaneously." _

"_So how do I do it?"_

"_You are going to need the help of six people, three for each spell, so counting you there are seven of people, which as you know is the most powerful magical number. Now you are lucky that you have six people that meet the qualifications because for the conduit spell you need three people who have died for you and for the enjoining spell you need three people that would be willing to die for you."_

"_Which do I do first?"_

"_The enjoining spell. You pick three people that all have different qualities that give you strength. They will then perform the ritual, and don't worry, if you pick the right people they will know what to do. The ritual will allow them to meld their spirits with your own and thus give you the strength for you are to be the vessel in the conduit spell which is next."_

"_How does that one work?" _

"_That's where your parents and I come in. We will pull the two strongest emotions, hate and love, out of the world and channel them through you. Once we send it to you, you will then send it to Voldemort."_

"_And that will kill him?" Harry asked._

"_That's the theory."_

"_But not kill me?"_

"_Well, hopefully not, especially not before you complete the spell.…_

The memory kept going but Harry felt like they had seen what they needed to know. He looked to his friends and saw the determination written across all of their faces and he knew that they would know what to do.

Hermione, Ron and Ginny began by chanting in an ancient language that Harry assumed was Sumerian and he was surprised to find that he could understand it.

"We the three give unto ourselves our strengths to embolden the vessel

So that we may succeed where alone we could not

Through the power of the ancients we join our spirits as one."

Hermione lifted her wand above her head and a blue ray of light burst from her wand.

"I offer the gift of Mind."

Ron followed Hermione's example but his light was red.

"I offer the gift of Heart."

Ginny did the same however her wand produced a violet ray.

"I offer the gift of Passion."

The three rays of light joined together over Harry's head as he too raised his wand.

"I, the Vessel accept these gifts so that we may become one."

As he said this a brilliant white light erupted from his wand and he was filled with a whole other level of power he never could have imagined. He could feel the electricity of life around him, he could sense the energy it took for the grass to grow below him, and he could feel the oxygen swirling around him in the in the air. He felt connected to every living thing in the world and even to the world itself.

Harry looked at Voldemort, unaware that his hair had turned completely white and his eyes completely green, and saw what only could be described as fear behind the dark wizard's eyes.

Voldemort sent several more curses his way, but Harry only waved a hand at the red beams of light and they turned into birds that promptly flew away.

"What are you playing at Potter. These games are not going to work!"

"You could never hope to grasp the source of our power," Harry said, but when he spoke it was not his voice but the voice of many. "We are the many, the ancient, the all. We are forever. You cannot escape us."

"We call on the one that gave it all."

James lifted his wand and drew a gold light from the air.

"We call on the one that sacrificed it all."

Lily did the same, drawing in a copper light.

"We call on the one that lost it all."

Sirius followed suit, his light silver. Once all three had drawn the powers out of the air they simultaneously brought their wands down and pointed them at Harry, channeling all the pain and hate that Voldemort had ever caused into his body at one time. The pain affected Harry just as much as it would Voldemort and it was excruciating, even with all his borrowed power it took everything he possessed to stay standing and stay focused on what he had to do. He felt as if his head was going to explode and his insides were being torn to shreds but he dropped his wand and opened his hands and sent this pure concentrated hate and pain in a black beam into the being that caused it.

Voldemort screamed, hissed and withered in pain but Harry kept his connection weakening the Dark Lord for the final blow. Once he had collapsed to the ground, Harry knew it was time and he changed the beam from black to white and sent pure unadulterated love into the blackened heart of the evil wizard.

Harry raised his arms and levitated Voldemort into the air. "Even after all the pain you have caused, there will always be more love in the world which is why you could never succeed and why we will ensure that you will no longer cease to be.

Voldemort, who had been screaming, suddenly was silenced as his eyes opened wide in surprise and the light that Harry had been filling him with exploded out of him in a bright flash of white. When the light had dissipated, there was nothing but a wisp of smoke in the space that the most evil wizard of all time had just occupied.

As his connection with Voldemort was broken, so was the connection with his friends and he fell to the ground. Ginny, Ron and Hermione all rushed to his side.

"We did it…" he said weakly as Ginny kneeled beside his head and began stroking his still white hair. "Thank you for you help," he said both to his friends and to his parents and sirius who then faded away to go back to where they came from.

A hacking cough racked his body and Hermione's eyes widened in horror. "Harry, your coughing blood. You need to send us back so we can bring you back help."

Harry shook his head and winced as the movement pained him. "It wont make a difference. I know I'm dying, but I don't want to be alone."

"Don't say that Harry. You are going to be fine. You just have to hold on, okay, just hold on," Ginny said, trying to reassure him.

"It's alright Peanut," Harry said using the nickname he had used for her ever since he called her it on her birthday trip the summer before, causing tears to stream silently down Ginny's face. "I've accepted it. I did what I came here to do and sometimes a cause is worth a sacrifice…"

"Harry--" Ron choked out, speaking for the first time.

"It's alright Ron, I know…." Harry said slowly, his speech becoming more painful and labored.

"Don't speak Harry, just hold on," Hermione all but pleaded with him, tears falling from her eyes as well.

"No…I have to…tell you….when I die…"

"You're not going to die," Ginny wailed.

Harry gave her a sad kind of half smile, "When I die…I will lose the magic…keeping you here…and you….will be sent back….to your bodies…. It wont be long….before…the Death Eaters….get loose…. So ask the Order….to come….and get them….and…me…"

"We will Harry," Ron said softly as his eyes too welled up with tears.

"Prom--" he took a deep breath, "Promise?"

"Promise," he answered. "You did really great Harry. The world owes you everything."

"I couldn't….have done it….without…you…"

One last shallow breath wracked his body and as he closed his eyes, his friends faded away. When he opened his eyes again all the pain was gone and he saw his parents and sirius waiting for him.

"That was bloody brilliant," sirius exclaimed, clapping Harry on the shoulder.

"That's my son," James said, swelling with fatherly pride.

"We always knew you would do it," Lily said, embracing her son for the first time in fifteen years.

* * *

A/N And there we have it…..I know I know…I've been the queen of the cliffies the past couple chapters but I promise and swear the next chapter is cliffieless…. I have already written seven pages of chapter 14 so I should have that one finished and up by the end of this weekend at the latest cause I know you are all dying (excuse the insensitve death pun) to find out whats going to happen to Harry and Ginny and everyone else…..so show me some review love and I will get the next one out ASAP….. 


	14. Awakenings Part 1

A/N Okay….lets take a vote….who thinks I had the guts to kill of Harry for good and who thinks I will make him come back to life….well I say pretty quickly so read on!

* * *

Ginny was sitting in her conjured easy chair which had been her post for the past four weeks. That's how long Harry had been in the hospital, that's how long he had been unconscious. She stood and put the tray of hospital food that she had been picking at on the nightstand and moved to look out the window. The view was more than familiar, as it had been the only window she had looked out of for the past month, since she refused to leave Harry's side so that she would be there when he woke up.

Everyone had tried to convince her to go home at some point or another, but she remained firm in her decision to wait. Harry's Healers had told her on several occasions that they had no idea when he would wake, or even if he would at all. They truly didn't know, since they didn't even know what was wrong with him. They had been able to resuscitate Harry shortly after his arrival, but he had been clinically dead long enough for him to sustain permanent brain damage. However, all tests revealed that there was nothing wrong with any his brain functions and everything was acting as it should. All of his other physical injuries had long since been healed. Other than the fact that he was asleep, he was technically healthy, they just couldn't explain it.

Hermione and Ron had been there earlier bringing her her lunch, but they had gone to the cafeteria to get something to eat for themselves, leaving her alone with Harry. But that was alright, she didn't mind being alone with him, in fact she preferred it. Because when they were alone she would talk to him. She would tell him all about how thanks to that spell he had tied them up with, almost all the known Death Eaters had been captured, or about the articles written about him in the Daily Prophet. She told him how Fudge was finally kicked out of office and how Tonks and Lupin had taken what he had told them in his letter to heart and had not only told everyone that they had gotten together, but they had gotten engaged. She basically told him everything that was on her mind, but most of all she told him to get better.

As she stood at the window, watching the people walk by, busily hurrying down the street, a particular thought that often ran through her head when she did this, passed through her mind once more. _All of these people, who are so busy living their lives, so eager to get to their next appointment, so engrossed in their own problems, have no idea how their lives could have become so radically different if the boy, no the man, lying unconscious in this room hadn't done what he did._ A part of her was angry that these people were continuing with their daily lives oblivious to the sacrifices made for them, but she knew this was silly and that they couldn't possibly be blamed for not knowing what was kept from them.

She sighed to herself and walked back to the bed, sat on the edge and just looked at him. She reached out and ran a hand through his hair pushing it off his face. Most of his hair had turned back to its natural black except for one lock above his right ear that seemed to have turned permanently white.

She sighed again, bent forward, kissed his forehead lightly and whispered in his ear, "Happy 17th birthday Harry."

With one last sigh she moved back to her chair and curled up in a ball and took a nap.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A pair of green eyes slowly opened to a fuzzy world. _Glasses… where are my glasses?_ A stiff arm reached out and searched the nightstand next to him until he found the object of his desire and placed them on his face.

_Where am I?_ he thought as he yawned and stretched. A quick glance around the room told him enough for him to surmise that he was at St. Mungos. _What am I doing the hospital?_ he wondered as he closed his eyes and tried to remember the last thing he did, suddenly everything came flooding back to him. _Bloody hell! The last thing I remember doing is dying, but I'm not dead. Hey, I'm alive! I survived it!_ Harry laughed a little to himself at this happy revelation and was a little surprised by how gruff his voice sounded.

His laugh also disturbed Ginny, causing her to shift in her sleep and bringing the girl to Harry's attention. _Wow, why didn't I notice her before?_ he asked himself. _She's in here watching over me, I guess that means that my letter was well received…I hope_.

He watched her sleep for a few minutes, simply bathing in the sight that he feared he would never see again. However when she shifted again, flinging one of her arms over the arm of the chair, he couldn't help but to reach out and take her hand.

"Hey Peanut," he said as she blinked her eyes sleepily.

Ginny was immediately awake, took one look at Harry, jumped to her feet and slapped him right across the face.

"Don't you 'hey Peanut' me! How dare you even consider dying and writing me a bloody letter to say goodbye!" she yelled taking the letter out of her back pocket and throwing on the bed. "Don't even think that it is that easy Harry James Potter, you don't get to die until I damn well tell you that you can!" With that, she turned on her heel and marched out of the room in a huff.

Harry watched in complete shock as the red head marched out of the room. _Well I guess she didn't take the letter as well as I hoped_, he thought as he gingerly rubbed his stinging cheek. _But I couldn't have died without her knowing how I really feel about her, so now I'm just going to have to live with that choice_. He picked up the letter that Ginny had thrown at him and was surprised to see it was unopened. However he didn't have long to ponder this as Ron and Hermione came barreling into the room at that moment looking very distressed.

"Oh my goodness! Harry you're awake," Hermione cried happily when she saw Harry sitting up in bed.

"We were on our way back from lunch and we thought something bad had happened when we saw Ginny running out of the room. So how do you feel, should I get a Healer?" Ron asked concerned.

"Well my face stings a little from where your sister slapped me and my ego is a little bruised from her yelling at me, but other than that I feel fine," Harry said still a little confused.

"What, why did Ginny slap you and why did she run away crying? I mean we haven't been able to get her out of this room for the past four weeks incase you woke up and then the second you do she runs away? That doesn't make sense," Ron rambled.

"Four weeks?"

"Ron, shut up," Hermione whispered to her boyfriend. "Maybe you should go get a Healer, I'll wait here with Harry."

Ron nodded and quickly exited the room.

"What did he mean by four weeks?" Harry asked as soon as Ron had left the room.

"I don't know if I should be the one to tell you this, but as Ron can't keep his mouth shut I guess I'll explain. Harry, the Final Battle was a month ago, you have been in a coma for weeks. Today is your birthday actually, so happy birthday," Hermione informed him.

Harry took a deep breath and tried to wrap his mind around this. "And did Ron really say that Ginny hadn't left the room the whole time?"

"It's true, she didn't want to not be here in case you woke up, she even slept and showered here. And I have to tell you that we weren't sure if you would wake up, but Ginny wouldn't listen to any of that. In fact that's why she didn't open your letter," she said pointing to the envelope in his hand. "She said that she knew it was saying goodbye and that if she read it she was accepting that you weren't coming back, so she said she was keeping it to give it back to you. Although I didn't think she was going to slap you first."

Harry was going to pry for more information, but didn't have the chance as Ron burst back into the room with an entourage of five very surprised and excited healers. Before he had a chance to complain, he was being poked, prodded, and bombarded with questions.

"Are you experiencing any dizziness or light headedness?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Do you have any tingling in your fingers or toes?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Any nausea or stomach pain?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Any burning, itching, or other irritations?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Are you experiencing any hot flashed or chills."

"No, I'm fine."

"What about any shortness of breath?"

"No, I'm fine."

"How about anxiety or the inability to sleep?"

"What? I've been in a coma for the past four weeks, isn't that enough sleep? The only anxiety I'm having is because you wont leave me alone. How many times do I have to tell you I'm fine!" Harry exclaimed, finally fed up.

Another Healer strode confidently into the room and made his way over to Harry's bedside. A quick glance to the other Healers and to Ron and Hermione and the room was soon cleared. "I apologize, Mr. Potter, for my colleges enthusiasm, but you waking up is big news around here. Let me introduce myself, I'm Healer Ravolopologous, but nobody can pronounce that, to many O's, so you can just call me Dr. Sean," the handsome young Healer introduced himself.

"Isn't that a Muggle title?" Harry asked.

"Well, I'm Muggleborn you see and my father was a doctor and he always wanted me to be one as a child so to make him happy that's what I go by. Besides Dr. Sean has a better ring to it than Healer Sean if you ask my opinion. I'm the Head Healer in this ward and I have been assigned to your rather remarkable case."

"What's so remarkable about it?" Harry inquired, already liking the Healer.

"Well Harry, can I call you Harry? When you were brought here you were clinically dead and we estimated that you had been so for over 15 minutes, and although we were able to revive you, you should have sustained severe and permanent brain and tissue damage as your body was deprived of oxygen for so long. Even if you did wake up, which we didn't think you ever would, we should never have been able to be having the conversation we are having now. All of this being said, none of it matters because after you were revived and all of your physical injuries had been taken care of, tests were done to see to just what extent, neurological damage had occured. All of these tests came back saying the same thing, nothing was wrong. All of your brain patterns were completely normal, you were perfectly healthy. There was no reason why you shouldn't be awake and fine and yet you remained asleep."

"For four weeks," Harry said more to himself than the Healer.

"Yes, for four weeks. So that is why everyone is so interested in your condition, we were wondering if perhaps you had any insight for us, anything that might explain your rather long nap."

Harry closed his eyes and tried to think of the last thing he remembered. Suddenly it all came flooding back as if he was experiencing it all over again. It was being dead and meeting with his parents in the space in between.

"_That was bloody brilliant," sirius exclaimed, clapping Harry on the shoulder._

"_That's my son," James said, swelling with fatherly pride._

"_We always knew you would do it," Lily said, embracing her son for the first time in fifteen years. _

_Harry hugged his mother back, not believing that he had actually done it. He had defeated Lord Voldemort. As he embraced his mother he learned that her hair smelled faintly of sage. It was then that he realized that he was hugging his dead mum._

"_Wait, am I dead?" he asked looking around and realizing that he was at Hogwarts, however it wasn't the Hogwarts that he knew, but the one from his vision._

_Sirius and James gave each other a significant glance before James decided to speak. "Well technically, yes, you are dead, but that whole subject is up for debate."_

"_What's that supposed to mean, aren't you either dead or your not," Harry asked confused._

"_Well usually yes, that is the way it works," sirius explained, "but you, as it seems you always are, happen to be a special case. 'They' in their infinite wisdom, decided to give you a choice. I think they actually feel a little bad for the whole prophecy and destiny thing and since you died fulfilling 'their' master plan they decided to bend the rules this time and give you options."_

"_Exactly," James continued. "Right now we are in the space in between, I don't actually think this place has a name, but it is the connection between the world of the living and of the dead. Now you can either stay the way you are and come with us to the other side or you can choose to live and go back into your body and continue living your life free of the prophecy. But be warned if you choose to go back it will be a powerful piece of magic and it might take a little while for it to take effect."_

"_So let me get this straight," Harry said looking at the others. "I can either go back and finish out my life, however long that may be. Or I can just forget it and just go straight to heaven with you guys. I mean it is heaven isn't it?"_

"_Well, different people call it different things, but it's definitely the good place to go," sirius reassured him._

_Harry considered this for a moment, "What do you guys think I should do?"_

"_The choice is yours and yours alone," Lily told him. "We can't make this decision for you."_

_Harry broke down his options in his head and he thought that maybe dying wouldn't be so bad. He would be with his parents and sirius in heaven which wouldn't be bad at all. Also he had fulfilled his purpose in life, he had saved the world, how could he ever top that. He had done more in his sixteen years than most people did in a lifetime. Then he thought about his friends, he thought about how much he would miss them and how much they would miss him. He figured that Ron and Hermione would be okay eventually, they had each other. But then he thought about Ginny and he realized how much he would miss if he left the world now, how many experiences he would be missing out on if he chose to die. He thought about their friendship and he thought about the way she looked when she had been sleeping with her head on his chest this morning and he made his choice. _

"_I think I need to go back," Harry finally said. Once he heard the words come out of his mouth he knew he made the right decision._

"_We knew you would make the right choice," Lily said hugging her son once more._

"_You mean you all wanted me to go back?" Harry asked, a little surprised._

"_Of course we did. If anybody deserves to live a happy and full life it's you son," James said hugging both Lily and Harry. "After all you have been through, you deserve to have everything life has to offer." _

"_Just promise us that you will live life to the fullest and appreciate every day and allow yourself to love and be loved as it truly is your gift." Lily added._

"_Yeah and party hard and date lots of birds. 'Hey, I defeated the most evil wizard of all time' is a great pickup line," sirius interjected, as he to joined the group hug._

"_Sirius!"_

"_What Lils? You told him to enjoy life and it's not like he is going to need a job after he inherits everything when he turns 17, so he's going to need something to pass the time."_

"_That was supposed to be a surprise," James said as he whacked his best friend in the back of the head._

"_Oh yeah, pretend I didn't say that Harry."_

_Harry just nodded as couldn't speak since he had a lump in his throat and he was fighting back tears. These past few moments, just watching the dynamic between these people that meant so much to him, but barely knew, were some of the best moments of his life or death. A part of him couldn't believe he was voluntarily leaving them again._

"_It's alright Harry," Lily said reading her son's expression. "We'll still be here when you come back and we will be watching and looking out for you the entire time."_

_Harry looked at all three of the adults in turn trying to memorize their faces, but when he go to sirius it looked like he was listening to something._

"_They say its time for all of us to go our separate ways," he said, the sadness evident in his voice. "They say it already is going to look suspicious with you coming back to life after being dead this long."_

_Harry gave everyone one last hug and then they started to fade and he felt himself being pulled back to earth._

Harry snapped out of his daze and remembered where he was, Dr. Sean was looking at him with some concern and he realized that he must have been lost in thought for a while. "Umm, no I don't know why I was in a coma for so long or why I'm so healthy," he lied. That memory was private and he didn't feel the need to share it with the world. "But if I am so healthy, can I go home now?"

"No, I'm afraid not. We want to keep you here for a couple days at least to make sure there still aren't any underlying symptoms that we haven't seen yet and you are going to need some physical therapy. Even though you were healthy you were still in a coma which means that even though we have been magically stimulating them, your muscles will have atrophied some what. But that can wait for tomorrow, right now I would bet a thousand galleons that there is a rather large group of people waiting outside to see you."

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A/N Yeah I couldn't kill Harry…..there is just way to much more of this story to tell and I'm a sucker for happy ending and Harry's death is not a happy ending….besides, I think I have already said that this will go into post-Hogwarts so I can't kill of one of my main characters!

Also this is only the first half of this chapter…it was getting really long, like 14 pages long and I still wasn't finished so I decided to split it up so I could get it to you faster, so if it seems unfinished, it's because it's not….and I am still without my beta so please excuse any mistakes I missed…..

One more thing….I have no idea if my medical stuff was correct so don't be to hard on me if it wasn't…I'm an architecture major, not a premed student…..

WhatTHE?- is this what you wanted? I know I am so very evil but that was exactly the response I wanted...I hoped this makes you happier...hehehe

aagiel - caught me...but hey even joss says that he "borrows ideas" but I tried to mix it up enough so that it was different and fit my story

fritz42 - I'm so happy you picked up on that!

Yukito - What can I say...I just have that effect on people...lol...

Mr. Atti2d - well i feel honored then...

Samantha + Brigid - what can i say...you guys make my day...cyber cookies to you two...and i hated spanish too

A big thank you to all my other wonderful reviewers...your comments really mean the world to me and make me feel so great when I read them...they have really become an addictive high and i know you want to give me another fix so press the little button...you know you want to...


	15. Awakenings Part 2

A/N I'M HOME! Did you miss me? Okay here is part 2! Also just a side note, No this does not end with the begining of Just Married, they are completely different timelines...yes you will eventually get to see what Harry wrote in his letter (I actually just wrote that scene last night) but I'm not going to tell you when...and I have no idea how many chapters this is going to be but it is going to be long...if this story was a tv show (I know this is a weird way of looking at it) this chapter would end the first 'season' and I have my plot archs worked out for the next four 'seasons' ... well I wont make you wait any longer so have at it and I hope you enjoy!

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Ginny paced back and forth in the hallway in front of Harry's room, not sure what to do with herself. _What is wrong with me! I can't believe I slapped him. What was I thinking? Well, I must not have been thinking! You stupid, stupid girl!_ she berated herself as Ron and Hermione hurried down the hall to meet her. 

"We fire called your Mum and she said she would contact everyone else," Hermione informed Ginny. "Have you seen him yet? How is he?"

"I don't know, Dr. Sean is still in there with him," she told them as she resumed her pacing.

"There're Mum, Fred, and George now," Ron said pointing over Ginny's shoulder.

Ginny turned to where her brother had gestured and sure enough, there was her mother still in her apron with a wooden spoon sticking out of her pocket, followed closely by the twins, who were still in their bright pink work robes.

"How is he? When did he wake up? Can we see him?" Molly started asking before she had even reached them.

"Dr. Sean is in with him now, but we talked with him a little bit and he seems fine," Hermione reassured her.

"What happened? Do we know why he woke up?" Molly asked again.

"Yes, why did sleeping beauty finally decide to rejoin the land of the living?" George asked, obviously elated that Harry was better.

"I don't know," Hermione said. "Maybe Ginny knows, she was with him."

Ginny's eyes snapped up at the mention of her name.

"What happened Ginny?" Fred teased her, "did you kiss him and he woke up?"

"What? No! I was asleep and when I woke up he was awake too," Ginny said quickly as a blush crept up her cheeks.

"Yeah, and then you yelled at him and slapped him," Ron added.

Any blood that hadn't already reached her cheeks rushed there at once as her face turned tomato red.

"Ginevra Molly Weasley!" her mother admonished.

"That's the way to do it Ginny," Fred encouraged her.

"Who cares if he saved the world?" George added.

"Or if he has been in a coma for a month…"

"Or if today is his birthday…"

"He woke up and you showed him who is still boss."

Ginny would have given anything for the world to open up and swallow her whole right then and there. She felt bad enough about it as it was without everyone standing there staring at her. Her mother shocked and disapproving, the twins amused and oddly proud, Ron still confused as to why she did it, and Hermione understanding.

"I want coffee!" she announced suddenly. "Does anybody else want coffee? I can go get coffee. I'm gunna go get coffee."

As she rushed down the corridor away from Harry's room, she ran head on into Bill who had just arrived, still in his Gringotts uniform.

"Hey Ginners, where are you going?"

"Coffee," she said quickly as she continued to hurry down her way.

When she reached the nearest coffee machine, she had a mini panic attack when she saw it was out of order. _Oh Gods, what do I do? What do I do? I can't go back there empty handed!_ She wandered the halls a little longer until she came across a vending machine. Not knowing what anybody would want, she decided to get one of everything. Her arms now laden with foodstuffs, she hurried back to where everyone else was waiting.

"I thought you went for coffee," Bill commented upon her return.

"Broken."

Weasley appetites intact as always, Ron, Fred, George and Bill each grabbed a bag of crisps and began munching while they waited. Ginny deposited the rest of the food on a chair and sat in the one beside it. She pulled her legs up to her chest and stuck her head between her knees, wishing she could just disappear.

Everyone jumped when Dr. Sean opened the door and poked his head out. "I think that Harry might be up to visitors if you would like to see him."

Everyone started to rush the door but the Healer put a hand up to stop them. "You can go in for now, but I'm going to go do some paper work, and when I come back it will be time for Harry to get some rest. Okay?" Everyone nodded and he stepped aside to let them in.

"Aren't you coming?" Ron asked his sister who was still sitting with her knees to her chest.

"I think I'm going to wait out here for Dad and Lupin and Dumbledore and everyone else to get here so that I can point them in the right direction."

Ron just shrugged and followed everyone else inside.

Even after everyone she was waiting for had arrived and gone inside to see Harry she remained in the hallway with her head in her lap and her hands over her head.

"Hello Ginny," Dr. Sean said as he sat down next to her.

Without lifting her head she reached into the chair on the opposite side of her from the Healer and grabbed a bag at random. "Crisps," she offered.

"Thank you; these salt and vinegar ones are my favorite and I haven't had a chance yet to stop and eat," he said opening the bag with a small pop.

"You never do," Ginny said to her knees. She had gotten to know Dr. Sean quite well over the past month and had long since discovered his tendency to skip meals when he got busy.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," Ginny responded, looking up for the first time since he sat down.

"You spent the last month in this hospital, almost never leaving his side so that you would be there for him when he woke up, and now that he is awake you are sitting by yourself in the corridor. Why?"

"I slapped him."

"You what?"

Ginny buried her face in her hands once more. "I know! I don't know why I did it. I woke up and he was awake and he said hello and I slapped him, yelled at him and ran out of the room. I guess he just surprised me and now I don't know how I can face him. I mean what must he be thinking about me?"

"Okay," he said slowly as he considered this. "Well, slapping my coma patients for waking up is not usually something I approve of, but lets put that aside for now and work out why you slapped him. It wasn't because he surprised you, was it?"

"You Healers, always trying to psychoanalyze everybody. I'm not your patient."

"No, you're not my patient, but I hoped that you would consider yourself my friend and I'm just trying to help."

"You're right, I'm sorry. So," she asked him, "what's wrong with me?"

"Nothing is wrong with you, I just think you hit Harry because you were angry at him and were scared of him."

"No I'm not," Ginny denied. "Why would I be angry at him? He saved the world and I'm not scared of him, he's my best friend."

"That's exactly why I think what I think. You were his best friend before all this happened and you were angry at him for dying, and you were angry at him for not waking up. You were being the best friend someone could hope for, being utterly loyal and never leaving his side and he couldn't even wake up for you. Does this sound at all possible?"

"Maybe a little," Ginny relented, her feelings becoming clear to herself. "But I still don't think I'm scared of him."

"Okay maybe not of him, but perhaps of what might happen, or what he could do if he woke up. You've told me all about how you helped him out of his depression last year and how you were his training partner for his battle against You-Know-Who, and you have been so loyal to stay at his side this whole time. I think you are scared that now that his battle is over, which was the thing that brought you two together, that he might reject you. You are afraid he might not need you anymore. So you rejected him first."

Ginny stared at the young Healer gaping. _Is this how I feel?_ she asked herself. _Oh bullocks, maybe it is…_

"Now I don't actually know Harry awake," Dr. Sean continued, "but I have gotten to know you pretty well and I don't think that you would choose someone to be your best friend if they would abandon you like that. But that's just my opinion."

"How did you get to be so smart?"

"Ah, now that's why they pay me the big bucks."

"The big what's?" Ginny asked confused.

"Muggle saying, don't worry about it. Anyway," he said standing up. "I'm going to go in there and kick everyone out of Harry's room so he can get some rest until after dinner. However I might be preoccupied with some paperwork and I might not notice if a certain redhead wanted to slip in there to have a private conversation," he commented airily. "Oh, and thanks for the crisps."

Ginny didn't say anything as Dr. Sean went into the room and came back a few minutes later with the rest of the large group trailing behind. With a wink to Ginny, the Healer went on his way but the others lingered for a while. After a while though, those who had come from work went back to work and the rest decided to get some tea in the cafeteria.

"Are you coming?" Ron asked for a second time that afternoon.

"No, I think I'm gunna hang out here for a while," Ginny declined. She knew that the Healer was right, she needed to talk to Harry, alone.

Ron just shrugged once again and followed his mother and his girlfriend to the elevator.

Once they had disappeared, Ginny took a quick glance around, made sure no one was watching and quietly slipped into Harry's room. When she entered the room she saw Harry standing gazing out the window, much like she had earlier that afternoon.

"Merlin's mothballs! Harry, what are you doing out of bed?"

Harry jumped and turned with a fright at Ginny's exclamation. "Gods Ginny, you scared me. And I'm fine, I don't need to be in bed. See," he said opening his arms out to his sides. However he had to let go of the chair back he was holding on to for support to do so, causing him to wobble dangerously. Ginny all but flew across the room and grabbed his elbow to steady him and led him back to bed.

Once she got him back in bed and had herself seated, an awkward silence fell between them. Ginny finally decided to speak first.

"Harry, I'm sorry I slapped you."

"It's alright, I'm sorry I died without your permission."

"It's alright, just don't do it again."

Harry chuckled, "Alright, I'll be sure to ask next time."

"Hey," Ginny said, the sparkle that had been absent for the past month returning to her eyes. "There had better not be a next time because I intend to live forever and you will do the same, do you hear me mister?"

"I hear you," Harry said with a smile.

"Good, and no more comas either, I'm sick of this hospital and I have had enough hospital food to last me my lifetime and yours."

"Did you really stay here the entire time?" Harry asked before he could stop himself.

Ginny blushed and averted her eyes to a spot on the floor at the foot of Harry's bed. "Umm…yeah. I know it's weird and everyone told me to go home but I didn't want to not be here when you woke up and I mean they told me that they didn't think you ever would but I said I couldn't believe that and that you had to wake up because I didn't know how to live without you and…." Ginny trailed off embarrassed at what she had revealed in her ramblings.

"Thanks Gin, it means a lot to me that you didn't give up on me," Harry said earnestly.

"No problem Harry, I knew that you would do the same for me," she said meeting his gaze.

"Yes, I would have," he told her, not breaking their intense eye lock.

_She didn't read the letter so you're going to have to tell her yourself, _he told himself. _Come on Potter do it now, do it now, it's easy just tell her how you feel. She obviously cares about you if she stayed here the whole time. Just say it, just say 'Ginny I love you.' No I can't be that blunt about it maybe I can just say 'Ginny I care a lot about you and I think I might want to take our relationship to the next level.' No, that sounds to much like a line. Oh Merlin it's too hard to think with her looking at me like that. Gods she's beautiful and those eyes, I could stare into those eyes forever…Snap out of it Potter and think about what you are going to say to her._

As they stared at each other and Harry had his internal battle, Ginny noticed the odd look in his eyes.

"Are you okay Harry?" she asked.

_SAY SOMETHING!_ Harry's inner dialogue yelled at him. "Ginny, you know that kiss on the train before--" Harry started.

"Oh that," Ginny interrupted, "don't worry about that."

"What?" Harry asked confused.

"I said don't worry about that. I know that it didn't mean anything so you don't have to worry about me reading anything into it. Personally, if I were in your shoes I would have done the same thing. I mean if I thought I was going to die I would have wanted to get one last kiss in too, and since you couldn't really kiss Hermione, I was the best choice. So don't worry, I totally understood why you did it, and I'm totally fine with it. So I just figure we could pretend it never happened and not have to worry about any weirdness," Ginny said in her rehearsed speech. She held her breath as she waited for his response to her plan. _Don't agree, please don't agree, I don't want to pretend it never happened,_ she pleaded with him silently.

"Sure," he said slowly after he had digested what she had said for a moment. "Yeah, it's for the best if we just forget it ever happened. After all, you are my best friend, and I don't want anything to come between us and make anything awkward. I don't know what I would do if I lost your friendship."

Ginny nodded in agreement but felt tears welling up in her eyes, all the emotions and occurrences of the past month and day were catching up with her all at once. She had wanted so badly for him to tell her that she was wrong and that he didn't just kiss her because she was convenient, but that he had kissed her because he had wanted to and that it meant as much to him as it did to her, but she was just going to have to settle with being his best friend.

"What's wrong Gin?" Harry asked worriedly as tears began to leak from her eyes.

"I'm just so glad that you're awake," she told him. It wasn't a complete lie; it was part of the reason she was crying.

"Oh Ginny," he said as he sat up a little more and opened his arms to her. She responded by crawling onto the bed and into his embrace. With her head on his chest and his arms tightly around her she began to sob, letting all her pent up emotions out. Emotionally drained, it wasn't long before she had cried herself to sleep in Harry's arms.

"Well Peanut," Harry whispered to the sleeping redhead, "one day I will tell you how I really feel. After all, I have a whole lifetime to tell you now."

It wasn't long before Harry too had closed his eyes and fallen asleep.

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A/N So there it was…I hope it was satisfactory because this closes the first chapter in my Harry Potter saga and because I might not update for a little while since I'm going to concentrate on Just Married…Kinda for a while and I'm starting my first year of college in two weeks…..but don't worry because againI promise this is not the end and I still have lots and lots of plans and ideas for these characters….In fact I just wrote a scene for this story that doesn't take place for five years (I have a whole file for random scenes that I think of) So leave me some review love and I'll try to write as fast as possible so I can give you more….. 

Love Always ColorOfAngels

Oh and by the way I'm sure some of you were questioning the whole vending machine thing but I'm the author so they have magical vending machines and coffee dispensers and you can't prove otherwise…..lol…..

Always CofA

B/N: There's another great chapter! I'm going to be joining college in two and some weeks too, so life's going to be buzzing. Anyway, we will try our best to get the stories up. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of Just Married…Kinda, aren't you guys? Anyhoo, drop us a review!

--Augurey


	16. Makeovers

A/N GASP I UPDATED! I know that I have been away for a million years and for that I am sorry...I always hate authors that let fics sit for months at a time and here I am guilty of it...I just had no idea that college would leave so little time to write, but as an Architecture major I barely have time to eat and sleep, let alone write...So I'm hoping to make it up to you with lots of updates over winter break! So the story is back to a lighter funnier period and its going to stay that way for a bit so I hope you enjoy it…..And as always thanks to the lovliest of all Betas Augurey Song...without her, who else would keep me from inventing new words?

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Ginny was standing at her window looking out at the backyard of the Burrow musing about how different a year sixteen would be compared to fifteen as the world was now a different place. Last year she had spent her birthday in hiding at Number 12 Grimmauld Place, as her own home did not provide enough safety. Now she was back in her own room, able to go outside into the world as she pleased without fear. Last year her friendship with the Boy-Who-Lived was still new and fragile, now her friendship with the Boy-Who-Won had gone to the end of the world and back and was stronger than ever. Her last year was anything but normal, as it was spent having to act way beyond her fifteen years as she helped Harry prepare for the battle to end all battles. She was determined to make her sixteenth year just that; a normal girl enjoying being sixteen.

As she surveyed the garden she could still see the remains of yesterday's surprise party. It had been a joint party and the sign that read _Happy Birthday Harry and Ginny!_ was still hung from the trellis, and not all the chairs had been brought back inside.

She laughed a little to herself on how obvious everyone had been about it, and how she should have been able to guess what was going on, but neither she nor Harry had any clue it was coming. They had both commented on the whispered secrets that had stopped whenever she or Harry, who had come home from the hospital a week ago, walked into a room.

She had also noticed how odd it was that Ron had insisted they go flying after lunch, and Hermione had readily agreed to go ahead with the plan, but then declined to go with them herself, even though she and Ron were practically connected at the hip these days. She also felt it was strange that when she was thirsty and hot and she suggested they go back to the house and get some lemonade her brother had refused to let her go, but when Ron had decided that it was time to go back, he wouldn't take no for an answer.

She had been thinking and laughing about how quickly Harry had whipped out his wand and pushed her behind him when everyone jumped up and yelled surprise, when a knock on her door broke her from her thoughts.

"Who is it?" she called.

"Me," Harry's voice replied from the other side.

"Just who I was thinking about," she called back. "Come on in."

"Are you dressed?"

"Of course I am," she said crossing over to the door and opening it. "Why did you ask?"

"Well, last year when I did this, you weren't," he explained.

Ginny paused and thought back to the year before on the day after her birthday when he walked in on her in her underwear. "Oh that," she laughed. "You know you liked it."

"Of course I did," he joked back, "But I also remember you threatening me not to do it again. And the wrath of Ginny Weasley is not something I want to invoke."

"Alright, alright," Ginny conceded, "So besides wanting to know if I was starkers, is there a reason I am graced with your presence this fine morning?"

"Well, I came up to see if you are ready to go," he explained.

"Ready to go where?" she asked.

"Well it's the day after your birthday," He stated as if that explained everything.

"And that means...?"

"That means that I get to take you out for the day," Harry told her.

"I don't know Harry," Ginny said doubtfully. "You've only been out of the hospital for a week and--"

"Come on, it's tradition," he interrupted her.

"Harry, we only did that once," Ginny laughed. "That doesn't make it a tradition."

"Then let's make it a tradition. Ginny, I feel fine, the Healers gave me a clean bill of health. Come on, let me take you out, we'll get some lunch and spend lots of money. It's not like I don't have plenty of it now."

_That's for sure,_ Ginny thought. Last night at their party Remus and Bill, as a representative from Gringotts, presented Harry, now seventeen, with his full inheritance. It was revealed that Harry's vault in Gringotts was only a trust set up to tide him over until he was an adult and could handle the whole Potter fortune. And it didn't stop there, Sirius had named him as his sole beneficiary, which meant that he received the whole Black fortune as well, which was even larger than the Potter fortune (which wasn't anything to sneeze at either). All of this culminated in the fact that Harry would never have any kind of financial worry for the rest of his life.

"Please Gin," Harry whined. "I'm going to go out whether you come with me or not, and it's no fun spending money by myself. Plus, without you, who is going to keep me out of trouble?"

Ginny still looked at him, unconvinced. Harry sighed to himself, trying to think of some other way to persuade Ginny to go with him. "We can go get coffee for breakfast," he said, tempting her with her favorite, "and then we can do whatever you want to do afterwards."

Ginny still looked hesitant but then had an idea. "So we can do anything I want?" she questioned.

Harry nodded, not the least bit worried about the conniving look that had developed on the red head's face. "Anything," he reiterated.

"Alright, let me just change really quick and I'll meet you downstairs," Ginny told him, as she grinned evilly to herself as she finished getting ready, _Yes, this might just work_.

Ginny slipped on a pair of flip-flops, grabbed her purse, and ran down the stairs into the kitchen, where Harry was waiting for her.

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"So," Harry asked after watching Ginny savor the first few sips of her macchiato, "What devious plan do you have in mind for us today exactly?"

"Now Harry," Ginny said with false shock and innocence, "what would ever make you think that I had something devious in mind?"

Harry laughed. "Oh just the absolutely conniving look on your face when you agreed to come out with me today. However, you were telling me what I wanted to hear, so I didn't question it at the time, but now I'm curious. So what did I get myself into today?"

Ginny just laughed. "Well, I thought that a makeover was in order."

Harry gave a mental sigh of relief as he had no doubts as to the endless possibilities of crazy schemes that the redhead could devise.. "Oh that's no problem. But I don't see why you think you need one, you look fine," Harry said, completely okay with the idea of following her around all day carrying her bags.

"No Harry, the makeover isn't for me," Ginny told him with a sly grin. "It's for you. I'm thinking haircut, maybe contacts, some new clothes..."

"Whoa there peanut. The whole point of today is for it to be _your_ birthday present. The day should be about you not me," Harry said blanching at her suggestion. "Besides, what's wrong with my hair?"

"Nothing's wrong with your hair. I love your hair, I just think it needs a style," Ginny said honestly. It was true, she didn't care that it was messy...not at all. In fact she loved his messy hair, but she didn't like how long it was since it was completely in his face and eyes, and she hated not being able to see his emerald green eyes. "Now, you promised me that we could do whatever I wanted to do today and this is what I want to do."

Harry was going to complain some more, but the determined look on Ginny's face and the excited glint in her eye told him it was pointless, and he _had_ told her he would do whatever she wanted, and she obviously wanted to do this. _After all_, Harry thought to himself, _how bad can it be?_

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_Pretty bad_, Harry said to himself, as Ginny threw another pair of distressed denim jeans over the dressing room door. Over all this hadn't been Harry's ideal way to spend a day but Ginny seemed to be having such a good time that he didn't say anything and as he put on the latest outfit he figured it was worth it.

"What's taking so long?" Ginny called impatiently just as Harry opened the door. "Ohh... you look fantastic in those. Now if you are going to get followed around and have your picture taken all the time you might as well look good right?" Ginny reasoned as Harry lifted an eyebrow at her. "Come look in the mirror and see for yourself. Now you are really going to have to fight off members of the Harry Potter fan club."

Harry shot her a look but then moved to the mirror and looked at his reflection. He had to admit that he _did_ look good. He was wearing a pair of distressed jeans, with a vintage tee-shirt, and a green track jacket with a pair of old school Vans and he had already swapped out his glasses for some new contacts, and gotten a hair cut to Ginny's specifications that he really liked.

In fact, it was the first haircut he had ever gotten that he liked. Instead of trying to fight the trademark messiness, this new style embraced it, even adding a little bit of - what did they call it? Oh yeah, pomade - to make it messier, with a chunk of hair falling rakishly over his forehead, partly covering his scar. All in all, he had to admit that he didn't know he cleaned up so well.

He looked in the mirror over his shoulder to where Ginny was standing behind him nodding approvingly. As hard of a time he was having accepting his own transformation, he was having a harder time coming to grips with Ginny's.

He could still feel the shock he felt when the hairdresser brought him back from getting his hair washed, just in time to see another hair dresser cut off over a foot of auburn hair. Ginny's hair had gone from right above her waist and straight across to just below her shoulder and layered stylishly.

While he had to admit that it looked really nice, he didn't want to have to explain to Mrs. Weasley that he let her daughter chop a foot and a half of hair off. Even though Ginny was now sixteen and old enough to make these kinds of decisions by herself, she was still seen as the baby, and was expected to run these kinds of decisions by her parents. A part of him was afraid that he might get held responsible since he was--in a way--supposed to be watching her and taking care of her, even though everyone knew that you can't really stop Ginny from doing something once she put her mind to something. Harry was looking at her in the mirror, thinking about how much he admired this quality in her, completely unaware that Ginny had noticed his scrutinizing gaze.

"Has my face turned green or something?" Ginny asked, suddenly feeling very self-conscious.

"What?" Harry asked, snapping out of his thoughts.

"Well you were looking at me so intently that I was wondering if my face had turned green and I just hadn't noticed," Ginny teased him.

Embarrassed at having been caught staring, he quickly thought up an excuse. "Well I was just thinking about how nice your new haircut is," he told her quickly. _Well that isn't a complete lie, _he told himself, _I do like her new haircut._

"Thanks Harry," Ginny beamed as she looked in the mirror over Harry's shoulder, fiddling with her newly shorn bangs. "I really like your new cut too. I think I picked out a good style for you, if I do say so myself."

"Yeah," Harry responded, running his hand through his hair, mussing it up. "I like it too."

Ginny walked up next to him and ran her own hand through his hair, re-mussing it so it looked even better. "I even think the streak of white gives it character."

"I don't like the white," he said with a furrowed brow.

"Why?" She asked curiously.

"Because it is a constant reminder of something that I would rather not be reminded of."

"Why? It was a great thing you did. You were a hero and saved the world. I mean, not many people can claim to have killed the most evil wizard of all time."

"But that's just it Gin," Harry said looking at her with a very serious and intent, yet, in a way, lost and faraway gaze. "I killed him. It doesn't matter that he was evil and that the world is a better place without the monster, and I probably saved countless lives, I still killed someone, and that fact will never change. For the rest of my life I will have to live with the fact that I have killed another living thing, and every time I see my reflection, it is a reminder."

Ginny wrapped her arms around him in a hug from behind and stood on her tip toes so that she could rest her chin on his shoulder, so they were both looking at each other in the mirror. "Well if you don't like it then we will just have to get rid of it," she told him as if that were the obvious solution. "Since glamours wear off, we can stop by the pharmacy on the way home and pick up some black Muggle hair dye and then you don't have to see it anymore. Okay?" she asked, as she gave him another squeeze.

Harry nodded, the sad look still in his eyes, "Okay."

"Okay. Now let's go spend some more of your money. I saw some really cute belts on the way in."

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"So how does this work?" Harry asked worried, as he watched Ginny mix up the bowl of hair dye.

"It's really simple. I just use the brush to apply the dye to your hair, then we let it sit for 30 minutes to give it a chance to process, then you wash it out and your white hair is dyed back to black. I promise nothing will go wrong," she reassured him.

"Fine," he finally resigned. "Let's do it."

Harry closed his eyes as she applied the dye. It was only a matter of seconds before she announced she was done.

"What? That's it?"

"Of course it is. What did you think was going to happen? Blimey, for someone who saved the world, you sure are a wimp," Ginny joked, as she pulled up all her hair except for the bottom-most layer into a high ponytail.

"Wait! What are you doing!" Harry asked in a panic as she started applying the black dye to her own hair.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm dying my own hair black. After all we have all this left over dye from your hair and we wouldn't want it to go to waste."

"Let it go to waste," he begged her. "You can't dye your hair, your mother will kill me. She is going to be mad enough when she sees I let you cut your hair."

Ginny spun around with that determined look in her eye once more. "Harry, you didn't _let_ me do anything. I cut _my_ hair because _I_ wanted to do so. Just like I will dye my hair because I want to. So you can either sit there and watch me do it or you can help me do the back of my head so I don't miss any spots."

Harry just stood there, watching her for a moment, once again knowing that there was no way he could stop her. With an audible sigh, he took a step forward and took the brush from her hand.

"Good," Ginny said happily. "Now try not to get any dye on the nape of my neck because even though it will come off eventually, it will still stain my skin for a while."

"I can't believe I am doing this," he muttered at he began covering the beautiful red locks that he loved so much with black dye. "Not only is your mother going to kill me for doing this, but so will your father and all six of your brothers."

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Harry paced back and forth as he waited for Ginny to get out of the shower. He had long since washed the dye from his own hair, turning it back to its natural uniform black and he was now waiting to see Ginny's transformation. He was facing the window when he heard the door open slowly.

"Wow."

"So what do you think," Ginny asked tentatively as she stepped into the room and closed the door behind her.

"Wow," Harry said again.

"What does that mean? Is that a good wow or a bad wow?"

"It's a wow, wow. It looks really striking, I wouldn't have even recognized you if I saw you on the street. But you look great, just like you always did, but a different kind of great. It's going to take me a little while to get used to it though."

"But you like it?"

"Yeah," Harry said nodding, "I like it."

"Okay good," Ginny said with a sigh of relief.

"Do you like it?" Harry asked in return.

"Yeah," Ginny said slowly, appraising her image in the mirror. "I think I do. It's actually kind of liberating, my red hair has always been so identifying for me. And you know more than anyone what it's like to be judged and evaluated by a physical trait and how irritating it is."

Harry's hand unconsciously went to his forehead. "That I do," he agreed, "but how do you think the family is going to react?"

"I don't know, but I'm not that eager to find out."

However, the fates were not on Ginny's side at that moment as Mrs. Weasley picked that exact time to call up the stairs to them that dinner was ready.

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A/N Yay for new chapters! So what did you all think? I know not to much happened in this chapter but I figured so much happened in the past few chapters it would be nice to slow down the pace for awhile...I promise upcoming chapters will be more interesting and funnier but I needed some kind of bridge and I needed to set some future stuff up...

While you guys wait for the next chapter in this story go check out my oneshot Where Do We Go From Here and the first chapter of my new mini fic Reality is Subjective...


	17. Unveilings

A/N Wow...what can I say, I didn't know that I was going to create such a stir with the whole hair dye incident...lol...I didn't think it would be so upsetting hehehe...well here is a whole chapter devoted to the controversial color but I promise the new color won't last forever and maybe you guys will find it in your hearts to forgive me since I updated again so soon and that it's Christmas! So Merry Christmas everyone or Happy Holidays to everyone who celebrates something different...and thanks to my beta Augurey Song for being able to get this edited for me to I could get it to you guys asap...

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"How do you think the family is going to react?" Harry asked, playing with a lock of her newly shorn, newly dyed hair.

"I don't know," Ginny said with a laugh, looking in the mirror over Harry's shoulder. "But I'm not that eager to find out."

However, the fates were not on Ginny's side at that moment as Mrs. Weasley picked that exact time to call up the stairs to them that dinner was ready.

Harry could feel Ginny physically tense up next to him as he watched the color slowly drain from her face, adding to the contrast her hair had against her porcelain complexion. Her breathing started coming heavier and more rapidly and for a moment he was actually afraid that she might hyperventilate and pass out, as her eyes started to glaze over.

"Ginny?" Harry asked concerned as he took hold of both of her shoulders and shook her gently.

Ginny looked at Harry, breaking out of her trance. "Oh my gods. Harry, what did I do?"

"You dyed your hair black," he supplied helpfully.

"I know I dyed my hair black," she snapped. "Why did I dye my hair black? Why did you let me dye my hair black!" she asked hysterically, smacking him on the arm.

"Hey now," Harry responded rubbing his arm where she hit him. "I tried to stop you."

"Why didn't you try harder!" She accused, before she crossed to the mirror and started running her hands through her hair and muttering something that Harry couldn't hear over and over under her breath.

Harry crossed over to Ginny and turned her around so she was facing him. "Ginny, you need to calm down. You are going to have an aneurysm if you don't breathe."

"What did I do? What is my family going to say? I can't believe I dyed my hair. Harry, why do I have to be so darn spontaneous, why didn't I listen to you?"

"Because you are my peanut, that's why. And it's part of what makes you Ginny." He said calmly. "Now you are going to go down there with the unbreakable confidence that I know you possess and you are going to face your family knowing that you made the decision to dye your hair because you wanted to and that you still look beautiful no matter what hair color you have."

Ginny closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and took strength in Harry's words. And when she opened her eyes a new resolve shone in her eyes. "Okay, lets do this."

Harry smiled at her, receiving a weak one in return as he took her hand and led her to the door and down the stairs. When they had reached the bottom, Ginny hesitated for a moment before she took the last step taking a huge gulp of air when her mother looked at the two of them.

"Well there the two of you are," Molly scolded good naturedly, turning back around to finish setting the table, "I was about to send a search party for the two of you."

The rest of the family, which included Arthur, Fred and George who had decided to come to dinner, and Ron and Hermione, who had already gathered in the dining room, stood in shocked silence--not only at Ginny's appearance, but at the way Molly was reacting (or really how she was not reacting to it.)

"Did you two have a good time while you where out?" Molly asked not waiting for an answer before she continued speaking. "You look good without glasses Harry, it's a very nice look for you dear."

"Thanks," Harry replied, as bewildered by her actions as everyone else. "I don't think I'm going to wear my contacts everyday, but I think they are nice for special occasions," he rambled, unsure of what else to say.

"Yes, and I think your new haircut is very dashing as well..." Molly suddenly stopped speaking as if talking about Harry's hair registered something else in her mind.

Everyone held their collective breaths and Ginny gripped onto Harry's arm a little bit tighter as Molly suddenly dropped the forks to the ground causing a deafening clatter in the otherwise silent room. Once the forks had stopped reverberating, she turned around slowly until she was facing Harry and Ginny.

"Ginerva," she said in a deadly quiet voice causing all of the Weasleys to blanch at the use of her full name, "you cut your hair."

"Yes Mum, I did," Ginny responded stepping out from behind Harry, finally finding her trademark courage.

"And you dyed it black," Molly continued just as quietly.

"Yes I did," Ginny said again as she lifted her chin and squared her shoulders.

"Is it a glamour?"

"No Mum, I actually dyed it."

The Weasley matriarch closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath as if she was trying very hard to keep from exploding. "Ginny," she paused, everyone holding their breath once more, "please tell me why you cut your hair and dyed it black."

"Because I wanted to Mum, and I like it and I am going to be keeping it," she told her mother as if she was daring her to suggest otherwise.

Ginny heard someone gasp from the general area of the dinner table and she knew that she had shocked all of her siblings. And she was also vaguely aware that everyone in the room was looking back and forth from her and her mother waiting for one of them to say something. As she stood there in a test of wills against her mother, she was about to break and say she would figure out away to dye it back when her mother blinked.

"Okay then," was all she said before abruptly turning around and leaving the room and heading up the stairs.

No one moved for a moment as they all stared at each other stunned into a kind of momentary stupor. Everyone stayed this way until Arthur broke the silence by suddenly standing up.

"I'm going to go find your mother," he said shortly, with only a cursory glance at Ginny as he too moved from the room.

"Well, I think it looks really nice Ginny. With your complexion, you can really pull it off," Hermione finally said.

Ginny smiled gratefully at her best friend.

"Well I don't like it," Ron interrupted with conviction.

"Ron!" Hermione admonished.

"Well I don't!" Ron told her not backing down. "She doesn't even look like a Weasley any more."

"That was kinda the point Ron," Ginny said defending herself and her actions. "And I am not defined by the color of my hair. I would still be me with red hair or black hair or even green hair. This is the exact reason I dyed it, so I don't look like a Weasley."

"What's so wrong with being a Weasley?" Ron challenged standing up and moving to face his younger sister directly.

"Nothing! But is it so wrong that I don't want to be immediately identified as one!"

"Yes!"

"Why?"

"Well it worked," Fred said speaking for the first time.

"Yeah," George continued, "you don't look like a Weasley."

The twins looked at each other before continuing together. "You look like a Potter."

"What?" Ron, Ginny, and Harry said in unison.

"They're right," Hermione said looking at the three of them critically. "With the three of you standing next to each other with Ginny in the middle, if I didn't know you guys, I would think that Harry was your brother, not Ron."

Harry and Ginny looked at each other, honestly surprised by this new revelation, equally surprised when they realized that it was true, they did look like they were related.

Ginny's nose wrinkled up and she nibbled on her bottom lip as she tried to decide how she felt about this new information. And Harry seemed to be waiting to make his judgment on the situation until Ginny made hers.

"Well," Ginny said after a moment, "I suppose that is alright. Since I like Harry better at this point," she said with a glare at Ron. "And Harry never gave me fudge with walnuts in it without telling me, causing me to end up at St. Mungos on Christmas eve."

"I forgot you were allergic!" Ron defended himself.

"Harry would never forget I am allergic to walnuts, would you Harry?" Ginny asked.

Harry looked from Ginny to Ron and back to Ginny. "Of course not," Harry promised solemnly, managing to keep the mirth out of his voice but not his eyes.

"Whatever," Ron conceded grumpily sitting back down at table in defeat. "I give up, go ahead and be Ginny Potter then."

Ron's words seemed to create a heavy and uncomfortable blanket over the room and Harry and Ginny especially, as they both shifted back and forth awkwardly, the name Ginny Potter echoing over and over in their minds.

"Ginny," Hermione said suddenly, releasing the tension, "it doesn't look like your Mum is coming back anytime soon, so should we go get dinner out of the kitchen and bring it in here?"

"Yes, that sounds like a good idea," Ginny agreed, following the older girl into the kitchen.

As they loaded up their arms with plates of food, Hermione leaned in and said, "You know that Ron is dense sometimes and he has no idea what he just said."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ginny replied blushing slightly.

"If you insist," Hermione told her with a knowing smile as she walked back into the dining room.

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The rest of the summer went smoothly after Ginny had a heart to heart with her mother, and Ginny explained that the black hair wasn't going to last forever and she just wanted to do something different for a while. And it also didn't mean that she didn't want to look like a Weasley anymore, but she just wanted a change and that one day she would go back to red. Molly even confessed to her daughter that she had wanted to do the same thing her age, except she wanted to be blonde and tried to bleach it using lemon juice which ended disastrously and turned her hair a sickly bright orange color. Molly also admitted that while she wished that Ginny would have at least asked or told her that she was going to do it, she did like the way she looked with dark hair, although she preferred it natural of course.

Their make overs even caused a national stir as they had been photographed together when they went to Diagon Alley to get school supplies. There had been a whole page article in Witch Weekly on Harry's new look and another half a page on trying to figure out who Harry's mysterious raven haired lady could be, because in one picture they made it look like they were about to kiss from the angle it was taken.

And of course, just like everything else that happened at Hogwarts, the pairs new look was a huge topic of discussion for months only spurred on by the articles and that they now knew that Ginny was the raven haired girl. It wasn't until around Halloween that things returned to normal, well at least as normal as things got for Harry and his closest friends.

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A/N So what did you all think? I know that this one is a little bit shorter, but originally I wasn't even planning to write this chapter and I was just going to write a short paragraph at the start of the next chapter to recap the reaction but Ginny dying her hair was such a big deal to all of you guys I thought I should honor it with a whole chapter and it is a good intermediary chapter since I'm going to start making some time jumps again to keep the plot from draggin to much...Now my goal is to get through chapter 21 written before break is over, but the question I have for you guys is, do you want me to upload all five chapters in the next 2 weeks or would you rather that I spaced them out only doing one a week or one every other week or so, so that it isn't as long of a gap between chapters 21 and 22? So tell me what you thought and if you still hate me for dying Ginny's hair! 


	18. Families

A/N YAY FOR UPDATES! Most of you said you wanted chapters as soon as they were ready so here this one it...So we are going to start time jumping again so we can start moving faster towards our next main plot point but I couldn't jump all the way there so I thought I would add in some fluffy goodness in between so that's what the next few chapters will be...hope you enjoy! And as always special thanks goes to Augurey Song for being my Beta

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Ginny sat back in her favorite oversized armchair as she observed Christmas morning at the Weasley house. She couldn't help but smile at the fact that no matter how old they got, she could count on one thing never changing, her brothers would always act like children on Christmas morning.

All of her brothers had spent Christmas Eve at home, much to her mothers delight, so everyone was still in their pajamas as they had just finished opening presents. Ginny surveyed the room, taking in the pursuits of its occupants.

A seven month pregnant Penelope was gently rubbing her stomach as she sat with Mrs. Weasley and Fleur, discussing baby names and wedding plans even though Bill and Fleur's wedding wasn't until the following summer.

Percy-- who had shown up a few months earlier with a pregnant wife on his arm, had been welcomed back into the family after profusely apologizing for his actions-- was curled up in the arm chair by the fire, reading the book that Hermione had given him

Hermione was sitting in the chair next to Percy, pretending to be reading the book he had given her, but in actuality was really watching Ron adoringly, as he tried to keep the twins' gift to him from eating his slippers while he was wearing them.

The twins on the other hand, were engaged in a fierce wrapping paper war against Bill and Charlie and had just dived behind their father's chair in order to avoid getting pelted with crumpled up wads of the colorful paper, but Mr. Weasley didn't even notice, as he was too busy reading a VCR repair book

Ginny couldn't stop smiling at this scene, until she noticed that one conspicuous person was missing from this tableau. She put on the white snow jacket that the missing person had just given her over her blue and green plaid flannel PJs and quietly left the room unnoticed. She went upstairs making stops in both her and Ron's room before continuing her way up to the attic.

Once in the attic, she knew her instincts were correct on where Harry had disappeared to when she saw the window open. As she crawled out onto the roof she saw him sitting by himself with his knees up to his chest, shivering since he didn't have the sense to bring a coat with him.

"You're going to catch your death of cold up here without this," she said as she tossed him the jacket she had stopped off in Ron's room for on her way up. "At least you had the sense to melt the snow and use a drying charm before you sat down on the snowy roof."

He took the jacket gratefully and didn't say a word as Ginny sat down next to him, wrapping the blanket she had snagged from her room around them both.

"You have been hanging out with me too long," Ginny stated simply after sitting in silence for a few moments.

"Why do you say that?" Harry asked, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

"You seemed to have picked up my habit of escaping to roof tops when you want to be alone," she said, half-seriously half-teasingly.

"Well they are a good place to think," he replied in the same tone.

"I've thought so for years," Ginny said with a hint of smile before falling quiet once more. "So are you going to tell me why you needed a place to escape and think instead of being down stairs with everyone else enjoying their Christmas presents, or are you going to make me freeze out here all morning?"

"You didn't have to come up here you know, you can go back inside if you are cold," he told her a little more pointedly than he intended.

Ginny just gave him a look that told Harry exactly what she thought about that last statement.

"Sorry," Harry replied ashamed at himself for his tone and harsh words. No one else could convey so much in a single look, he thought to himself.

"As you should be," Ginny told him as she snuggled further into the blanket. "Now are you going to tell me why you are out here trying to catch hypothermia instead of being downstairs with the rest of the family watching Ron's feet get eaten or listening to my mom trying to convince Penelope that Eugenia is a fine baby name?"

Instead of smiling like Ginny had intended, this just seemed to depress Harry more as his eyes clouded over and he gave an almost inaudible sigh.

"That's just it Ginny, _the family_ is downstairs. Your family to be more specific, not mine. Everyone downstairs is a part of your family, or at least is going to be," he said abjectly.

"Hermione is downstairs and she isn't technically part of the family," Ginny reminded him, causing him to give a kind of half laugh.

"Not yet, at least. Promise not to tell?" he asked.

Ginny nodded and looked at him curiously.

"Last night Ron told me that he is planning to propose as soon as we graduate in June," Harry confided.

"Really?" Ginny asked, excited that Hermione was going to officially be her sister before she remembered what the real issue was. "But Harry, you know that names don't matter to us. You know you have been accepted as a part of our family since you were twelve."

"I know," Harry said looking intently at the blanket that was wrapped around him. "And believe me, I appreciate that more than you will ever know. You have all been the only family I have ever known, and you mean more to me than I could ever express. I feel ungrateful saying this, but sometimes I just wish that I had a family of my own, you know… my own flesh and blood that care about me as much as I care about them, you know, someone besides the Dursleys. Most of the time I have no problem accepting it, and moving past it, but there are times I really miss that I don't have good family memories from when I was a child, or that I don't have traditions to pass onto my children. I don't even know if my parents had traditions to pass onto me."

Ginny felt the mixture of shame, anger and sadness that she always felt whenever she remembered the awful circumstances in which Harry had been forced to grow up. She was so used to having Harry around, and he had become such a fixture of the Weasley family, that she forgot that he wasn't really a part of the family and failed to realize that he might feel this way, or how all the Weasley traditions, and they were plentiful, might affect him. Especially the Christmas Eve tradition of sitting around the fire sharing memorable stories of Christmas past.

"Well Harry, even though I know its not the same, I want you to know that my family all loves and cares about you as if you really were a Weasley," she told him once more.

"I know," Harry said quietly.

"But I don't think that you are going to be able to get exactly what you want until you have a family of your own."

"But what if I never have my own family?" he asked her.

"Harry you are a great guy, someday, you are going to meet the girl of your dreams, and you are going to fall in love, and marry her, and have four children."

"Four?"

"Yes four: two boys and two girls."

"Really now," he asked a little disbelievingly but smiling never the less.

"Yup," she told him, returning his smile. "Picture this," she said pulling the blanket tighter around them as she began to portray his future in a day dreamy kind of voice. "It's Christmas morning and you and your wife are in still asleep because you two are exhausted since you had held the Christmas Eve festivities at your house the night before, and you guys had been up late cleaning up and preparing for today. And even though you guys could have slept till noon, you wake at seven in the morning to three little people jumping up onto your bed.

"You lie still, hoping that maybe if you pretend that you are still asleep they will go away, but your wife, knowing that it is futile, wakes up telling you to get up and to take the children downstairs while she gets the baby up. You roll over and open your eyes to see your two oldest children, a boy about seven with messy black hair and a girl about five with long silky black hair staring at you expectantly with their identical green eyes. However your youngest daughter, a spirited little girl of two, who also inherited your eyes, is still jumping on the bed, her red curls bouncing up and down in the early morning light. You get up, pull on your favorite robe and grab your daughter mid jump as you make your way towards the family room, the two older ones running down the hallway and down stairs in front of you. You get downstairs and into the family room and start a fire in the huge fireplace before sitting down in your favorite overstuffed armchair.

"The children beg you to let them start opening their presents, anxious to see what Father Christmas had brought them, but you tell them they have to wait until their mother comes down with their little brother, who is only a few months old, before they start. So they pass the time by sifting through the mountain of gifts situated beneath a mammoth tree all lit up by fairly lights, which you had all decorated as a family the week before, all of them secretly eyeing which ones are theirs and hoping that they each get what they most desire.

"You already know that your son's favorite gift is going to be his first real broom and you are almost more excited than he is to get up in the air so you can teach him the finer points of Quidditch. You cant wait to see your older daughter's eyes light up when you bring out the new puppy that you currently have hidden in the study. And you know from experience that even though you bought her lots of expensive toys, your two year old will enjoy the boxes they came in more than the toys themselves.

"Your wife finally comes into the family room carrying a little bundle of blankets that you only know is your youngest son from the tuft of bright red hair peaking out from over the top. Your three oldest look back and forth from you and your wife waiting for the go ahead to start handing out presents. You nod at your son giving him the cue to find a present with his name on it, and one for each of his sisters, and all three of them start tearing into them at once. In a flurry of wrapping paper and ribbon, you catch your wife's gaze and you look at each other with such love and adoration and in that moment know that nothing in the world could make you happier than you are in that moment."

Ginny finished her scenario for the future, and neither of them spoke for a good ten minutes as they digested what she had said.

Harry felt warm inside as he thought about the wonderful life that Ginny had created and wondered if he would ever be that happy and hoping that even a fraction of Ginny's prediction would come true. She had described it so well that he played it over and over again in his head like a home movie of his future. As he thought about his pretend future family one thing struck him as odd.

"Ginny?" he asked, turning to the girl who was still lost in thought. "Ginny?" he said again when he realized she didn't hear him.

"Huh?" she responded, only half-listening as she too was still thinking about the ideal future she had created.

"Why did two of my kids have red hair?" he asked with honest curiosity.

"What?" she asked snapping out of her daze as if she had been burned.

"You said my two younger children had red hair, I was just wondering why," he explained.

"Oh...well," Ginny said standing up suddenly, "Your mother was a redhead, so I figured that you carried the gene as well," she explained quickly as she gathered up the blanket while avoiding Harry's glance. "Besides, that's not your actual future, I was just making that up. For all I know your children could take after their mother."

Ginny paused for a moment as she said this, because in her version of the future, the two younger children did take after their mother, because she was their mother. She was completely mortified with herself for actually telling him her own Christmas wish for the future, but she only let herself dwell on this for a moment before she pushed it out of her mind, resolving to not figure out what that meant now, but leave it for tomorrow when she had more time. Today it was Christmas, and she planned to enjoy it.

"Well, I don't know about you," Ginny said wanting to change the subject, "but I am starving and Mum probably has breakfast waiting on us and since we have been gone so long we should hurry before things get really ugly between all my brothers. You don't want to come between them and their food, trust me, I know."

Harry only hesitated for a moment before getting up to follow Ginny downstairs.

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A/N YAY FOR FLUFF! I know it's a couple days late but I thought some Christmas fluff was appropriate don't you think? Well tell me what you think and perhaps tell me what your favorite line is...the next chapter is like 90 percent written so I just have to finish it off and send it to be beta'ed so that one should be ready within the next few days... 


	19. Valentines

A/N I am on a roll, don't you all think? Lol...I know the past couple chapters have been short so here is a nice long one for you...Hope you all enjoy! And as always many thanks to Ms. Augurey Song!

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"Harry, what's wrong with me?" Ginny asked.

"What, besides the fact that you don't know how to sit in a chair?" He responded, laughing at his friend who was currently sitting upside down on the sofa next to him, meaning that she had her feet over the headrest and her head hanging off the seat, her black hair barely brushing the floor.

"No, I'm being serious," she told him. "Tomorrow is Valentines Day and I don't have a date. Everyone has a date to Hogsmeade tomorrow except for me."

"I don't have a date for tomorrow," Harry reminded her.

"Fine, then everyone who wants a date for Hogsmeade tomorrow has one. It's not like you didn't get offers from half the female population in this school, Mr. Most Eligible Bachelor of the wizarding world," Ginny told him, tossing him the Witch Weekly that gave him that title. "If you don't have a date then that's your own fault, but I didn't even get asked."

"Yeah, but the only reason they want to go out with me is because I'm Harry Potter. They don't know who I am and they don't really care to find out. They just want to spend the day with me so they can go tell everyone they know about it. That is not my idea of a good time. And besides, I thought you said last year that it's a commercial holiday made up by greeting card and candy companies to make money," he reminded her of her words from the year prior.

"Yeah, but last year I had a boyfriend so I was allowed to not care about the holiday. This year I'm single and lonely," she explained with a sigh. "You know, they should really rename it to be called single awareness day, cause that's what it is. How does it not bother you?"

Harry just shrugged in response.

"So you still haven't answered my first question," she reminded him after she saw he wasn't going to respond. "Is there something wrong with me? Am I repulsive in some way? I don't get it! Before this year, I have never had any trouble getting a boyfriend, let alone a date, and yet I haven't been asked out on one all year. Do I smell or something? I mean, I think I'm fairly attractive…" she stopped when she realized something and rolled backwards off the couch so she landed kneeling on the floor.

"Is it my hair?" she asked Harry. "That's the only thing different this year, should I have not cut it or dyed it black? Should I go back to red and grow it back out?"

"Gin, it's not your hair," Harry assured her.

"Then am I just ugly?"

"Ginny," Harry said, putting down the Quidditch magazine he was reading. "I can honestly tell you that your appearance has nothing to do with your lack of dates. You are gorgeous no matter what color hair you have and no matter what length it is. You could have bright blue hair and still be in the top ten girls, looks wise, and as you are now, you are in the top five."

"You're just saying that because you're my friend," Ginny said, leaning forward and propping her elbows on the seat of the couch.

"No, I'm not," he told her, "There is an official list and you are in the top five. If anything, you don't have a date because guys are intimidated by how pretty you are."

"Are you serious! There is like an official written down list?"

Harry nodded.

"Is it all the houses or just Gryffindor?"

"All," he told her grabbing his magazine and finding his place.

"Who else is on it and where do they place?" Ginny asked, her eyes shining with curiosity.

Harry smiled and looked at her from over his magazine. "I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you. I have already told you too much. You girls aren't even supposed to know it exists, but I trust you not to tell anyone."

Ginny nodded and fell silent, she stayed sitting on the floor with her chin resting in her hands on the seat of the sofa while she contemplated this new information, while Harry went back to his reading.

"So is it my personality?" she asked after a couple minutes.

"Good Gods Ginny!" Harry exclaimed, "When did you become Ms. Low Self-Esteem? You are one of the kindest, warmest, nicest, funniest, and all around one of the best people I know. You are also one of the most self-assured and self-confident people I know, so I don't know where this is coming from!"

"Then why does nobody want me!" Ginny shouted back, shaking her hands over dramatically in the air.

"Wow...what's going on down here?" Ron asked as he and Hermione stood in the stairway coming down from the boys' dormitory.

"Uggg!" was all Ginny said as she flung herself on to the couch and covered her face with a pillow in disgust with the whole situation.

"Umm...Ginny is...unhappy that she doesn't have a date for Hogsmeade tomorrow," Harry answered diplomatically.

"And I don't know why!" Ginny's muffled voice came from under the pillow. "Harry has assured me it's not my looks or personality so I don't know what that leaves." The pillow fell on the floor as she sat up. "Does my breath smell or something?"

"I think I know what the problem is," Hermione mentioned delicately.

"What?" Ginny asked hopeful that whatever the problem was could be remedied before the next morning.

"Well...I think that perhaps the reason that no one seems to be approaching you or asking you out is...that all the guys are afraid of Harry."

"What?" both Harry and Ginny exclaimed simultaneously.

"She's right," Ron agreed, "I heard some of the guys talking about it a little while ago."

"You see, people think that you are already spoken for and that it is only a matter of time before you get together. So they either think that you won't say yes, or they don't want to get on Harry's bad side for taking you away," Hermione explained.

"What?" Ginny exclaimed again. "That's ridiculous. Harry and I are just friends; everybody knows that!"

"No, everybody doesn't know that," Hermione told her, "And to be honest I can kind of see why."

"What are you talking about?" Ginny asked.

"Well..." Hermione started, hesitant to explain. "Everybody knows that you and Dean broke up because of Harry."

"The relationship wasn't working," Ginny countered, "we would have broken up regardless."

"Well you two do seem to be together constantly," Ron added.

"That's because we have the same friends, and have Quidditch practice together, and that kind of stuff," Harry explained.

"Well you guys are together alone a lot too, without friends around," Hermione mentioned.

"That's because our friends," Ginny looked at Ron and Hermione pointedly, "are dating and like their alone time and ditch us all the time to go snog in a closet." She said, making Hermione blush.

"Plus we have been through a lot together this past year so of course we are close," Harry also added.

"And there are also all of the Witch Weekly and Daily Prophet articles that say you are a couple," Ron reminded them.

"But I have released statements saying that we are only friends," Harry mentioned.

"And even if everything you say is true, and everyone is so sure that we are about to get together any day now, none of the girls seem to have problems approaching Harry!" Ginny exclaimed in frustration.

"Yeah well," Ron explained, "you also didn't recently defeat the most evil wizard of all time. Most guys do not want to compete with that."

"Great," Ginny said sarcastically, "so apparently I have no date for Valentines Day tomorrow because I am spoken for by the most eligible bachelor in the wizarding world who in reality sees me as nothing more as his friend. Sometimes I just love my life."

Ron, Hermione and Harry watched as she got up and marched to the portrait hole.

"Come on Ginny, don't be like that," Harry called after her.

Ginny stopped and rounded on him, "Don't even start with me Harry, its all your fault that I'm alone and dateless." And with that she stormed out of the room.

The trio was quiet for a moment before Harry finally spoke. "Someone should go after her," he finally said. He turned and looked at his friends to find them staring at him. "Why me? Why don't you go talk to her Ron? You're her brother."

"Exactly, I'm her brother she is not going to want to talk about her guy troubles with her brother."

"What about you Hermione, you're a girl, you know what to say."

"Harry, you are the one who needs to talk to her about this because you are the one involved, not us," Hermione reasoned.

"But I don't even know where she went?"

"Harry, you know just as well as I do that she is in–"

"The Astronomy Tower, I know I know," Harry interrupted Ron. "I guess I'll just go talk to Ginny, I'll see you guys later." Harry finally accepted as he left the common room.

"So..." Ron said as the portrait swung shut behind Harry, "do you think that they would be mad at us if they found out that we were encouraging the rumors that they like each other?"

"Probably," Hermione told him, "but they're not really rumors since they're true. They do like each other and it is only a matter of time before they get together and do we really want someone to come between them before they figure it out?"

"No of course not," Ron said grabbing Hermione by the belt loops of her jeans. "That's why you're the smart one," he whispered into her ear before pulling her into a kiss.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Ginny?" Harry asked hesitantly as he saw her sitting on the edge of the wall of the Astronomy Tower.

"Please leave me alone Harry," she requested not turning around.

"Why?"

"Because I'm trying to get over feeling stupid and making an idiot out of myself for making a big deal out of something that isn't that important in the scheme of things," she explained with a sigh.

Harry crossed over to where she sat and sat down on the parapet next to her. "Its not that silly, trust me I know what its like to be lonely and to want someone to connect with, but to be surrounded by people who act like they care but they don't. That's why I hold on to my true friends like you so tight. Because I know you care about me, not about the famous Harry Potter. So I'm sorry if I am driving potential boyfriends away."

Ginny turned to look at him. "No I'm sorry Harry for over reacting. Your friendship means more to me than having a boyfriend and I'm not willing to sacrifice it for one. And if that means I don't have a date for Valentines, so be it."

Harry smiled at Ginny as he came up with an idea, "How about this, since I don't have a date and you don't have a date...Ginny Weasley, would you do me the pleasure of allowing me to escort you to Hogsmeade tomorrow?

Ginny looked at him skeptically, "Are you serious?"

"Sure I'm serious. It will be fun, I promise. We'll get some lunch, walk around, and just generally have a good time." Ginny still didn't seem convinced so Harry kept talking. "Come on Gin, it's not like it's a date or something. Just two friends spending the day together and enjoying each other's company."

Ginny considered this for a moment. "Alright Potter, you have a deal, but I want to take this one step further. We should make a pact that whenever the two of us don't have dates for Valentines Day or something else that is date appropriate, then we will go with each other. Deal?"

Harry stuck out his right hand to shake hers. "Deal."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ginny glanced at the clock while she put on her lip gloss as she prepared for her "date" with Harry. She had five minutes before she was supposed to meet Harry. She smiled to herself in the mirror when she saw the note that Hedwig had woken her up with, requesting her presence at the base of the stairs at promptly ten thirty.

At 10:27 she took one last glance in the mirror and pulled on the heavy white snow jacket that Harry bought her for Christmas last year and to threw her gray, purple and white scarf she had knitted around her neck.

She hurried down the stairs, stopping and walking before she knew she was visible from the bottom. She took a moment collected herself, _Come now Ginny,_ she scolded herself, _this is just Harry, it's not like it's a real date or anything._ Once she felt more composed, she took the last few steps into the common room and even though she knew it was just Harry, her breath caught in her chest when she saw him standing there looking so handsome. She couldn't help but be surprised that he was dressed so impeccably even though they were clothes that she had picked out, and she couldn't help but smile when she saw he wore the black, grey and green scarf that she had knitted him for Christmas that perfectly matched his eyes, and she was surprised and smiling when she saw he was holding a single white rose.

"Good day, miss. How are you this fine morning?" Harry asked in an exaggerated accent.

"Very well, kind sir," Ginny replied playing along. "And how are you this lovely day?"

"Better for having you to spend it with," he replied with a small bow. "This is for you," he said, handing her the rose.

Ginny laughed at Harry's theatrics as she took the rose and smelled it. "Harry, where did you get a rose in the middle of February?" she questioned.

Harry just gave her one of his charming half smiles and leaned forward to whisper conspiratorially, "Must be magic or something."

Ginny laughed again and took the arm that Harry offered as he led her out of the common room and through the portrait hole.

"Nice scarf," Ginny mentioned.

"Yeah, one of my best friends knitted it for me," Harry told her. "Nice jacket," he responded.

"Yeah," Ginny sighed dramatically even though anyone could see the sparkle in her eyes, "Some loser gave it to me for Christmas."

"Hey!" Harry exclaimed, looking at her with mock hurt, which only caused her to laugh harder.

"You wore your contacts today," Ginny mentioned, changing the subject.

"Yeah, well I know you like them and since I feel guilty and it's all my fault that you don't have a real date and you are stuck with me today, I thought it would make you happy to see me actually wearing them," Harry explained, since he only wore them for Quidditch and special occasions.

"Right," she said trailing off at the end, both of them retreating into their own thoughts.

"You know this isn't going to do anything to quell the rumors that we are dating, especially if we get photographed again today" Ginny mentioned as they continued their walk down to Hogsmeade with her hand still resting in the crook of his elbow.

"With as many times as we have been photographed together I don't think one more time is really going to make a difference," Harry said resignedly. "Does it bother you when you when we get photographed together?"

"No not really, I mean I think that the outrageous stories that they come up with are funny and I mean it's not really about me. And as long as we know the truth and our friends know the truth it doesn't really bother me." Ginny told him. "Does it bother you?"

"On one level it does," Harry confessed. "I mean I don't really like getting attention for something I really didn't have a choice in doing. I mean in a way I am only famous for being born. It was prophesied that I would do what I did, it could have just as easily been Neville and then he would be the one the reporters would be following around. At least if I do what I want to do next year, I will be getting attention for something that I choose to do and not something I was born to do."

"And what's that?" Ginny asked curiously.

"Why don't I tell you that over lunch," Harry suggested as he opened the door to the restaurant for her.

"Okay."

Once they were inside, seated, and had their orders taken, Ginny once more asked Harry what he was thinking about doing next year.

"Well," Harry said, tracing his finger along the rim of his glass, "I haven't told anybody this yet, but I don't want to be an Auror any more."

"What? Really? Why?" Ginny was honestly surprised by this as it was the only thing that he had ever mentioned wanting to do with his life after Hogwarts, and Tonks had just told him over winter break that he was already as trained as most beginning Aurors and already had more experience. She also said that she wouldn't be surprised if he quickly became one of the best Aurors the ministry has ever seen.

"I just don't want to chase Dark Wizards for a living, I think I have had enough of that for one life time, don't you think? My heart just isn't in it anymore. You have to have noticed that I haven't really been putting any effort into my school work this year."

"Well neither have I really," Ginny acknowledged. "I learned so much last year from helping you prepare that I am way ahead on my studies. I just figured that you were even further ahead since you did way more studying then I did. But even without trying you must be doing well, or else Hermione would be after you."

"I am doing well still, but that's not the point. You also had to have noticed that I stopped asking you to train with me months ago."

"Yeah, but I just figured that was because we have been putting all of our energies into Quidditch this year," she reasoned.

"Exactly."

"Exactly, what?"

"I have been putting _all_ of my energy into Quidditch this year," he said as if that explained everything.

Ginny just looked at him as if waiting for him to finish explaining.

"Come on Gin, I know you're not this slow," he teased. "You know I'm never happier then when I'm flying."

"You want to go pro, don't you?" Ginny finally pieced together.

Harry nodded. "I know it's not quite as noble a profession, but I've spent the past six years playing the hero. I think I've done enough for wizard kind. I think I deserve to be a bit selfish and to do want I want to do and what makes me happy..." Harry rambled on, looking for self acceptance of his decision as much as he was looking for acceptance and validation from Ginny.

"Harry," Ginny interrupted reaching across the table to place her hand on his. "I don't think that there is anything wrong with wanting to become a Pro Quidditch player instead of an Auror. Who cares if it's not as 'noble,' as you put it. You should do whatever makes you happy. It is your life after all, and if anyone deserves to be happy, it's you."

"Thanks Gin, you don't know how much I needed to hear that," he said, as he felt a weight lifting off his shoulders. "I don't know why but I haven't told anyone about this yet because I feel like I will disappoint everyone, or that I'm giving up on something."

"See that's why you should become a Quidditch player instead, because of that bloody hero complex," she teased laughingly. "Harry, you shouldn't always worry about everyone else, sometimes it's alright to put yourself first. Of course that doesn't mean I want you to become arrogant, self-centered, git, but you need to do what you need to do. And I can't speak for everyone else, but I can tell you that I'm not disappointed in you and that is enough, because after all, my opinion is the only one that matters."

Both of them started laughing at this, and suddenly Harry felt much better and more confident about his decision.

"So," Ginny asked as their food was brought to the table, "do you know who you want to play for yet?"

"Well," Harry said, "Oliver sent me an owl a while back mentioning that their seeker is planning to retire at the end of the season, leaving an opening. So I wrote Puddlemere's manager and after he spoke to Oliver about me and heard what I was able to do when I was eleven, he agreed to come and watch our game against Slytherin in March."

"Ohhhh, now I understand why you have been working us so hard in practice," Ginny said.

"Naw," Harry responded nonchalantly, "I haven't been working you guys harder, you guys are just getting lazier."

"Hey!" Ginny said as she threw a chunk of bread at Harry's head.

However Harry ducked and the bread sailed over his head and lodged itself in the rather large and puffy beehive hairdo of the witch sitting at the table behind them. Ginny's eyes widened in mortification at what she did, as Harry's eyes started watering as he strained to keep from laughing. He thought he was going to be able to keep it in, but when Ginny leaned forward and whispered worriedly, "You don't think she will get attacked by birds on her way home do you?" Harry lost it completely and busted up with laughter. At first Ginny tried to shush him and get him to stop but that only made him laugh harder and it wasn't long until she too relented to the humor of the situation and also started laughing until her side hurt.

The day continued on in the same fun and light hearted manner and the time went quickly until they were both surprised when they found themselves making their way back up to the castle.

"Well Harry," Ginny announced, " I have to say that you were the best Valentines date/non date that I have ever had. I had a lot of fun today, so thank you."

"I feel the same way," Harry told her.

"Well I don't know if that is much of a complement," Ginny laughed, "considering my only competition cried her way through your date."

Harry laughed as well, "Yes, I didn't make you cry, so that was a definite improvement."

"But seriously Harry, I think this is the best Valentines Day I've ever had," she told him as she smelled the rose she was still carrying that he had given her that morning.

"Me too," he agreed, putting an arm around her shoulder and pulling her close to him as they walked up to the castle, neither of them noticing the photographer hidden behind a tree.

* * *

A/N So what did you think? I'm actually pretty happy with this chapter so I'm anxious to get your input...good/bad, funny/not, enjoyable/painful...you let me know and maybe tell me a favorite line or two...

B/N: Okay, I take full responsibility for the reason this is late! ColorOfAngels sent this to me almost a week ago, and I've been a lazy ass. Here you go, though! Have fun. Mwah.

-Augurey Song.


	20. Visits

A/N Wow...I cant believe this is already 20 chapters...Okay everyone, I know that this isn't what you want to hear, but this chapter officially brings our happy fluffy phase of the story to an end as we are starting to get back into some conflict with our favorite characters, I was actually going to have another fluffy chapter before this one but it seemed to me like you are all frustrated with where their relationship is going/not going so I felt it was time to get moving on some plot...however the consequence of moving this chapter up in the sequence is that there is a larger time gap then I usually have so keep that in mind as you start this chapter……and although I know what is going to happen next I don't know when I am going to have the time to write it up now that school has started so I hope you enjoy this one...

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Ginny was sitting in the Great Hall, eating her breakfast, staring absentmindedly out the window, excited about spending an afternoon with Harry in Hogsmeade, when Angelika Thorsan, her closest friend in her year, plopped down beside her. 

"Hey, you were mentioned in Witch Weekly again," the blonde said, tossing the magazine to the redhead. She was a redhead once more, since she had stopped dying her hair at the beginning of her final term at Hogwarts. Since she was no longer touching up Harry's hair, she decided to quit doing her own, and was using glamours on it until all the old dye had grown out…

"Again?" Ginny asked, looking at her friend who had recently cut her hair into a stylish pixie cut. "What are they saying this time? That Harry snuck onto school grounds under the cover of night to see me, or that we snuck away to have some sordid love affair in some remote tropical location?" Ginny joked as she started to flip through the magazine, searching for the article in question.

"Neither. Apparently he has moved on," Angelika said, looking over her shoulder. "I thought you would be happy to hear. Now you don't have to worry about them making up that rubbish about you."

"Right," Ginny responded distractedly as she found the article.

_**HAS HARRY POTTER FOUND A NEW LEADING LADY**_

_Has Harry Potter, 18, defeater of You-Know-Who, star Seeker for Puddlemere United, and one of the most eligible bachelors in the United Kingdom, finally been taken off the market? _

_Potter, who had often been linked with good friend and seventh year Hogwarts student Ginny Weasley, 17, has recently been spotted around town canoodling with Seraphim Von Burr, 20, heiress to the Floo fortune. Sightings of the pair have been frequent the past few weeks and outings often include everything from after-practice ice-cream stops at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor in Diagon Alley to late night partying at the exclusive new London hot spot Club Phoenix. _

_And while representatives for neither party have confirmed the relationship, they have not denied it either, as Potter always did with his relationship with Ms. Weasley. On more than one occasion he was quoted as saying "My relationship with Ginny is purely platonic. We are definitely not romantically involved in any way. is one of my best friends, and although the last thing she needs is another brother, I care for her like she is my sister." Potter has made no such denial about his relationship with the socialite and would only comment that "I like spending time with Seraphim and enjoy her company."_

_If Potter and Von Burr are, in fact, a couple, this would make them one of the richest young couples in the European Wizarding world. Potter's wealth, after inheriting both the Potter and Black fortunes when he turned seventeen, added to his Quidditch salary and endorsement deals, is estimated to be over 7.2 million galleons. While Von Burr, whose great-grandfather invented and developed the Floo system, stands to inherit a fortune that is estimated at a staggering 63.9 million galleons. _

_While no official announcement has been made, no one who has seen the couple together can deny that they have chemistry. For now, we will all just have to wait and see how this will develop. _

"Serephim Von Burr!" Ginny exclaimed disbelievingly, trying to ignore the fact that she felt like she had just been punched in the stomach.

"Oh I know, she's just famous for being famous. I don't think she has ever done anything worthwhile, or worked a day in her life. She irritates me. All you ever hear about her is what party she went to, or how much money she spends. I don't see what the big deal is about her…but who am I to say? Obviously Harry sees something in her," Angelika rambled as she dug into her breakfast, not noticing the strange look on Ginny's face.

"You know," Ginny said after a moment, "it's probably not even true. I mean, look at all the stuff they wrote about me and him and that was all completely untrue. I mean, didn't they have us engaged at one point?"

"Yeah, and pregnant" Angelika laughed. "That was funny. But isn't he coming to visit you down at Hogsmeade today? You can just ask him yourself."

"That's exactly what I'll do," Ginny replied, finishing up her breakfast. _I bet it's completely untrue. Harry would never date someone like her.. I don't know why I'm getting so worked up about this. These stories didn't upset me when they were about me…maybe it's because I secretly wished they were true. Oh shut up Ginny, you're being stupid. Harry is one of your best friends. You are like the sister he never had, and he is like the nice brother that never made you fall in the toilet because he left the seat up…_

"Ginny?" Angelika asked, startling the redhead from her thoughts. "Are you okay? You had a really odd expression on your face."

"Yeah I'm fine. But I'm going to run upstairs and get my coat and feed Jack before I go and meet Harry," she said referring to the Crup puppy that Harry had bought her on their most recent of their traditional birthday excursions. "I'll catch up with you later and fill you in on everything."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A million things were going through her head as Ginny walked down the path to Hogsmeade, but all of those flew out the window when she saw Harry sitting with his back to her at a table, waiting for her when she entered the Three Broomsticks.

She snuck up behind him and put her hands over his eyes and whispered, "Guess who?" into his ear.

"Ginny!" he exclaimed as he jumped up, spun around and pulled her into a hug. "Oh I've missed you!"

"I've missed you too Harry, but contrary to popular belief, I haven't learned not to breathe since the last time I have seen you," she said into his chest, which she noticed had filled out quite nicely since he joined Puddlemere.

"Oh, sorry," Harry laughed, as he let her go. "So how are you? How is school? How is Jack?"

"School is school, and Jack is great. He is so adorable. He has gotten so big, you probably wouldn't even recognize him. Although he has seemed to have developed an infatuation with my socks, because he is always stealing them and hiding them all over the dorm, but that just adds to his charm. He has totally won over everyone in Gryffindor and he pretty much has free range of the Tower. He is quite spoiled since one thing he never lacks is attention." she replied. "But, how are you? How is the real world treating you? I saw that article in Witch Weekly this morning. What is all that about?"

"Oh that," Harry said. "I actually wanted to talk to you about that..."

But before he could say what was on his mind he was interrupted by a tall blonde woman in a very short skirt who was kissing him on the cheek. "Sorry I'm late babe, I couldn't find my purse. You know how scatter brained I am," she said with a high pitched laugh.

Harry stood to greet the woman before turning back to a shocked Ginny. "Gin, this is my girlfriend Phimie, Phimie this is my best friend Ginny."

"Please call me Sera. Everyone does. I only let Harold here call me Phimie," the Floo heiress explained with another laugh. "It's so nice to finally meet you! I've heard so much about you, it's like I already know you. Have you guys gotten your drinks yet? Why don't I go get them while you two catch up. Butterbeer okay?" she asked, leaving before she got an answer.

Ginny watched her walk to the bar before turning back to Harry, unsure of what to say.

"So what do you think?" Harry asked after a moment.

"She does know that your name isn't actually Harold right?"

"Yeah... I have tried to tell her that a couple of times."

"And she does know that it is October and like forty degrees outside," she said, referring to her short skirt and strappy stiletto heels.

"The cold doesn't seem to affect her like the rest of us. And she also has the mantra that it is better to look good than to feel good," Harry explained.

"I see..." Ginny trailed off, unsure of what to make of this whole situation. "So why is she here?"

"I wanted you to meet her," Harry said with a bit of hurt in his voice. "You're my best friend, and I wanted to get your approval before I went public with it, but that article this morning kind of ruined that."

"I see..." Ginny said again as Seraphim came back and Harry jumped up to pull out a chair for her.

"Thanks babe," Seraphim said as she sat down and passed out drinks. "So Ginny..." Seraphim started as she looked her up and down, evaluating everything about her, "Harry says he has known you since he was eleven."

"That's right," Ginny responded, evaluating Seraphim in the same manner.

"But you only became friends your fifth year, why is that?"

"His fifth year, my fourth," Ginny corrected. "And it was because that's when we connected. Before that I was just his best friend's little sister."

"Right. Rob, right?"

"Ron."

"Right."

"So you were around when he did all that saving the world stuff," Sera said nonchalantly.

"Yes. I was there. I was there for it. I was there for the training and the battle. I was there when he died and when he came back to like. I was there for the coma and the recovery. I was definitely there for all of that _stuff._"

"Well I'm glad that my baby had such a nice friend to be there for him through all that nastiness," the heiress said as she rubbed Harry's knee and looked into his eyes.

Ginny watched this, and suddenly her breakfast stopped agreeing with her. The simple sound of the blonde's voice was making her skin crawl. She couldn't take it anymore. She had to leave. "Umm...Harry? It has been great seeing you, but I should really get going," she said as she gathered up her things.

Harry looked at her in surprise, "What, really, so soon? But you just got here."

"I know but I have all kinds of Head Girl duties that I have to do today, not to mention I have a Quidditch practice to run tonight."

"But I thought we were going to spend all day together," Harry said standing.

_I thought so too, _Ginny thought to herself as she looked at the heiress, who was checking her lip-gloss in a spoon, disdainfully. "Yeah well, I forgot how much stuff I really have to do today, and anyway, you have your girlfriend with you, so it's not like I'm abandoning you by yourself."

Harry looked a little hurt and confused, but Seraphim didn't seem to notice the awkwardness. "Well I am so glad to have met you, Ginny. I can tell that we are going to be the best of friends, and we will have to get together sometime soon."

"We sure will," Ginny lied with a smile as she started to walk towards the door. "I'll see you later Harry. Be sure to say hello to my family and Hermione for me."

As Ginny was walking out the door she heard Seraphim asking Harry, "Hermione? I thought her name was Heather..."

Ginny gave a sigh of relief as she stepped out of the Three Broomsticks and the crisp October air hit her cheeks. She was so glad to be out of there, but she couldn't understand why. _Maybe it's because you can't believe that Harry picked this blonde bimbo half-wit over you, _Ginny told herself. _What do I mean 'over myself?' I wasn't even an option to choose from...I'm the best friend remember? What am I doing? Harry doesn't have any feelings for me, just like I don't have any feeling for him besides that we are best friends..._ Ginny was making her way back up to the castle when Harry's voice shook her from her thoughts.

"Ginny, wait!"

Ginny stopped and turned around to see Harry running towards her. "Yes Harry?" she asked.

Harry just stopped in front of her and didn't say anything for a moment as they looked at each other. Then he suddenly reached out and tenderly brushed a lock of hair out of Ginny's face and tucked it behind her ear, causing her to flinch almost unnoticeably at his touch.

"You stopped dying your hair," he observed quietly.

"Yes, since I'm no longer around to do your roots, I decided to stop doing my own as well," she explained just as quietly.

"Yeah," he chuckled softly. "I had to have Phimie do it last time."

"You know Harry, you're a big boy now. You could just do it yourself," She snapped harshly. "Now did you really come running all the way out here to tell me that I'm a redhead again, because I already figured that much out."

Ginny watched silently as inner conflict played within Harry's eyes and a small seed of hope grew in her heart. Most people wouldn't have been able to see past the well perfected mask of indifference that Harry usually wore these days, but Ginny knew him better than almost anyone, and she could see the indecision in his eyes, and she knew that what he was about to say was going to be important one way or the other.

Whatever inner struggle he was having, it seemed like he lost it, and it was with a defeated sigh that he spoke again. "You dropped your quill out of your bag and I know this one is your favorite," Harry explained, pulling the quill in question out of his back pocket, causing her mood to drop even lower than what it had been a moment before.

"Oh, I see," she said simply, taking the quill from him. "Well thank you for getting it back to me, and be sure to thank Seraphim for the Butterbeer from me."

"Ginny, wait," Harry said, grabbing her arm as she turned to leave again. "What's wrong? Is this about Phimie? Do you not like her? Because I was really hoping that you would like her. Your approval means a lot to me."

Ginny closed her eyes and took a deep breath before turning around to face Harry. "Nothing is wrong Harry. Like I told you, I just have a lot of things I need to do today." This was a complete lie, since she had cleared her schedule so that she could spend her whole day with Harry, and she knew that he knew it. "And i Phimie /i seems very...she seems like she likes you a lot, and so I am happy for you, but now Harry, I really have to go."

Harry stopped her again as she tried to leave. "But when do I get to see you next?" he asked. "The next Hogsmeade weekend is at the end of November, right?"

"Yeah, but I don't even know if I am going to go yet," Ginny lied. "You'll just have to owl me as it gets closer and I'll see what I can do." Ginny saw the hurt cross his face as she said this, but felt that it was nothing compared to the pain she was feeling inside, so held her ground.

"Well then, in case I don't see you," Harry said, a little bit confused even at the thought of it, "I'll see you at Christmas."

Ginny looked defiantly into his eyes, "I will see you at Christmas then, Harry."

This time Harry didn't stop her as she walked away, and by the time she was walking through the castle gates silent tears were running down her face, as she tried to think of something that she could do with the rest of her day.

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A/N I know you guys are all probably angry that I have let someone come in between our lovely couple but it had to happen sometime right? So before you start hurling rotten fruit at me at least be happy that Ginny has red hair again...I was going to wait another couple years in the time line before she reverted back, but I felt like I should give you something to make up for Harry getting a girlfriend that isn't Ginny... 

B/N: I, for one, give you all permission to hurl rotten fruit at ColorOfAngels. I know I just dumped about a crate of rotten tomatoes over her head. But hey, also keep in mind that she probably has something amazing in store for all of us…hopefully Phimie darling's brutal death. But, we shall see…

A/N 2 Wipes rotten tomatoes off cheek and ducks a head of cabbage…..I understand the reaction you are having but please don't take your anger out on me by not leaving a review….I know no one is happy with the most recent development, hell I don't even like it but its all apart of the master plan so tell me what you think about this chapter regardless….perhaps a favorite line or two?


	21. Holidays Part 1

A/N Hey people...I know the last chapter brought about unwanted developments but what can I say I need a plot...I just wanted to thank everyone who saw the need for this development and see the possible future value in it...and even if you didn't like it or appreciate it I'm thankful that you are sticking with the story unlike a few people who after the last chapter said they now hate this story and were going to stop reading it...and if it helps I promise that once we get through all the bad stuff the very very good stuff follows...it always gets worse before it gets better right?

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Ginny eagerly stepped off the Hogwarts Express excited to be home for the next two weeks for the winter holidays. Being Head Girl and Quidditch Captain on top of studying for her NEWTs had taken its toll on her, and even though it was way easier for her to study for her NEWTs than it was for everyone else since she had learned so much from helping Harry before the final battle, she was excited to have a vacation from all the responsibility. On top of all of that, this was also the first year that she didn't have at least Ron at school with her, and she was surprised to see that how much more she missed her family without him.

She looked around quickly, searching for someone with red hair since she wasn't exactly sure who was meeting her. She spun around quickly when she heard someone call her name and was a little surprised that it wasn't a redhead that had called her but someone with very dark, and very messy hair.

"Harry!" she called back, a little surprised that he was the one who had come, considering the note they had left on back in October, but was pleased to see him nonetheless.

Harry made his way through the crowd towards her with a big smile on his face.

"Hey there, Peanut. Hey there, Jack. Wow, you've gotten big," he said referring to the wiggling Crup that was struggling to get out of Ginny's arms.

"Yes he has," Ginny said in a baby voice, turning Jack around so she could kiss the seven month old puppy on the nose affectionately. "Where are we going?" she asked him when he took her trunk from her, then placed his free arm lazily around her shoulders and started leading her down the platform.

"To the parking lot, so we can go," he told her.

"You drove? Why didn't you just Aparate? It's not like you weren't with me when I got my license," she asked, genuinely confused.

"But then I wouldn't have the fun of showing off my new car and plus I get more time with you to myself before everyone else steals you away."

"Speaking of everyone, where are they? And how did you get stuck with the task of meeting me?" she asked as they strolled down the station platform towards the parking lot.

"Well, I actually volunteered to come get you, although only Merlin knows why," Harry teased her, earning him an elbow to his ribs. "And as far as everyone else, your Mum is cooking, Bill and Fleur are still at work, Charlie doesn't get in until tonight, Percy is watching baby Parker while Penelope does some last minute Christmas shopping, the twins are inventing, and I shudder to think what Ron and Hermione are doing. They have been disappearing a lot since Ron got back from the Auror academy last week." At this thought both of them paused, made identical grimaces, shook their heads in a futile attempt to rid themselves of an unpleasant mental picture, and then continued walking.

When they reached the parking lot, Ginny stopped and let out a low whistle. "This is your new car?"

"Yup," Harry said beaming as he rubbed the hood tenderly, "It's a 1956 Jaguar Roadster. When you come home this summer, I'll have to take you for a ride with the top down," he told her as he loaded up her trunk

"Sounds like a plan to me," Ginny agreed as she sank into the soft leather passenger seat.

"So, how is Quidditch going?" Harry asked as he started up the car.

"Good," Ginny told him. "Although I'm having trouble with my Beaters."

"If you want I can go over some drills that we with you later," Harry offered. "You might be able to use some of it.

"That would be great Harry, thanks."

They continued with easy small talk for a while and as they left the city and drove towards the Burrow, they fell into a comfortable silence.

As Ginny watched the passing countryside, which was blanketed in a field of white, she was thankful that neither of them was acknowledging what had happened the last time they saw each other. She wasn't sure what she was going to do if the topic came up, which she figured it was bound to at one point or another, since according to Witch Weekly, they were still together and the hottest couple of the year. But for now, she was content to put it off and enjoy the ride back to the Burrow.

center /center

The first week of winter holidays went all too quickly for Ginny's taste. Ron was staying at the Burrow while he was home from the Auror Academy, and as a result, Hermione was over so much, she may as well have just been staying there. Harry too spent most of his days at the Burrow, spending time with his three closest friends.

Their days were filled with frolicking in the snow or spending time inside drinking hot cocoa and playing wizards chess or exploding snap by the fire. They all remarked at one point or another that it felt like they had gone back in time. Nobody said anything, but it seemed like all four of them sensed that this was going to be the last winter holiday that they would have like this. It was going to be the last time all four of them were going to be able to act like kids, the last time any of them were going to be able to be this carefree..

Everything went smoothly until the day before Christmas Eve, when Harry announced that he wasn't going to be at Christmas dinner because Phimie, who had just gotten back from vacationing in Mykonos, had invited him to eat with her family, and he had agreed. So, of course, Molly told him to invite her over to the Burrow for Christmas Eve

The next morning, Ginny watched her mother fly around the house like she was even more of a mad woman than she really was, trying to get it ready for the Floo heiress, refusing to have any part in it. She was irritable all day, having no patience for anyone but her little nephew Parker, who at nine months old didn't care who was coming to dinner, and it didn't take long for everyone else in the house to catch on and leave her alone. .

The hours seemed to drag all day and Ginny was constantly checking clocks in different rooms thinking her watch had stopped. She wanted it to be 4:30 already, figuring the sooner this evening started the sooner it would be over. Yet, somehow she was still surprised when she heard the front door open, and heard her mother greeting Harry and his girlfriend downstairs.

She didn't go downstairs right away to greet their guests as she normally would, but instead sat alone in her room, finishing up wrapping Christmas presents. She hoped that maybe if she didn't go downstairs, nobody would notice she was missing and she could go to bed early and pretend this day never happened. Unfortunately, she did not get her wish and someone knocked on her door a few minutes later.

"Come in," Ginny called as she tried to keep the wrapping paper closed with her right foot and left elbow while she ripped off a piece of sellotape so she could tape it down.

Hermione opened the door and stuck her head through. "Your mother asked me to come up and tell you that Harry and Seraphim have arrived, and that she would like you to come down and say hello."

Ginny jerked unconsciously at the heiress's name, causing the tape to spin and wrap around itself, and then around her hair. She growled in frustration, kicking the present across the room (which thankfully wasn't breakable) and started clawing at her hair, trying to get the tape out, but only succeeding in tangling it up further

Hermione rushed into the room when she saw the desperate look on Ginny's face, and gently pulled her hands away from her hair before she could do herself permanent damage.

"Let me do it okay?" Hermione told the redhead softly, who simply nodded in submissive agreement.

"So," Hermione said lightly as she worked on the sellotape, "How much do you wanna bet that Ms. Von Bitch downstairs is going to get everyone's name wrong at least twice tonight?"

Ginny gave a shocked laugh as she looked up at the brunette disbelievingly, "Hermione, I don't think I have ever heard you call someone that before."

Hermione rolled her eyes then raised her voice three octaves, "_Oh Harold, have you seen my new purse? It was 500 Galleons and Daddy will be ever so mad at me if I lost it after he bought it for me last week. Heather, have you and Rob really known each other since you were eleven? That's so cute! I can't wear those shoes, they clash with my pedicure!_ Merlin!" Hermione said, returning to her own voice. "That girl is dumber that a box of rocks!"

By this time Hermione had successfully removed the tape from Ginny's hair, who was laughing so hard that she was clutching her stomach. "Thank goodness I'm not the only one who feels that way," Ginny said as she started to calm down. "I just don't know what Harry sees in her."

"I'll give you a hint," Hermione said sarcastically. "She has two of them and they're between her shoulders and her hips. But what can I say…every guy is entitled to one of those. How else will he appreciate the right girl once he gets her?" Hermione told Ginny as if this wasn't of any great interest to her.

"Well, it's not as if it matters to me who Harry dates," Ginny said defensively, seeing what Hermione was telling her regardless of her breezy attitude towards the situation.

"Of course it doesn't," Hermione readily agreed, "But that doesn't mean we have to like her or that we can't stay up late tonight and make fun of every stupid thing she says and does tonight, right?"

Ginny smiled, "Right."

Ginny managed to play nice for most of the evening, mainly thanks to Hermione, who was almost constantly at her side making snide comment s under her breath and them keeping a running score of how many times she got someone's name wrong. She even managed to not get mad when darling Phimie called her Gina not once, not twice, but three times. And she even managed to smile when she asked her where she got her blouse because, "It is so hard to find good vintage these days." It wasn't until dessert that she finally lost her cool.

It was when they were all sitting in the living room eating pecan pie while Seraphim was sitting on Harry's lap feeding him her pie (since she obviously didn't eat anything that wasn't diet, low fat, low cal, or no sugar) and she started ranting on about how excited her family was to actually meet one of her boyfriends, since she usually didn't bring them around unless she was really serious about them. Ginny watched, silently seething as she fed him another fork full and kissed him lightly and tweaked his nose as he chewed. It was too much for her to take and she loudly spit out her own mouthful of pie back onto the plate, causing everyone to look at her.

"Ginevra Weasley!" Molly admonished, shocked at her behavior.

"Excuse me," Ginny said emotionlessly as she dropped the plate onto the coffee table in front of her. "I'm suddenly not feeling too well, I'm going to bed."

Without another word she walked calmly to the stairs, sprinting once she knew she was out of sight, but not before hearing Phimie mutter, "Well that wasn't very polite."

Once she had reached the sanctuary of her room, she threw herself onto the bed and started crying frustrated tears. She was still sobbing fifteen minutes later when she heard someone come into the room and sit down next to her on her bed. Without looking up she knew it was Hermione.

"I don't care that he is going out with her," she cried into her pillow.

"I know you don't," Hermione said as she ran her hands comfortingly through Ginny's hair.

"I'm not in love with him," she said in between sobs.

"I know you're not."

"I'm a terrible liar," she hiccupped after a moment.

"I know you are," Hermione told her gently as she continued to comfort her until she cried herself to sleep.

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A/N Okay...so this is really only the first half of this chapter but it got so long over 6000 words that I decided to cut it into two... I dont think that this is the best chapter I have written but its necessary to drive the plot forward so if this chapter seems a bit transitive that's why, so don't worry there is more to this that you can expect soon...and if it helps the next chapter is the last chapter that we will see darling Phimie...lol...

B/N: Okay, I am soooooooooo sorry. This is completely my fault. ColorOfAngels had this and the next few installments to me ages ago, but I've been inundated with coursework, meetings, twenty page research papers, ignorant people who know nothing more than what the newest display in Chanel is, and mice breeding under the floor in my dorm room. I know none of them really absolve me from the guilt of not having this done before the posting, but I bow down to all of you and ask for forgiveness.


	22. Holidays Part 2

A/N So here's the second half of this chapter...Once again this is unbeta'ed since my beta has had some real life issues to deal with (college can be a drag) but like on the last chapter I will update the beta'ed version once she gets it to me...I was just going to wait but I thought you guys might want it sooner...so as a price for the update you might have to excuse a few more typos than normal...and also before you start reading, just remember that things are always darkest right before dawn...

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Ginny sighed as she pulled her jacket closer around her and laid back on the roof of the Burrow watching the sun go down on another year. It was New Years Eve and she was prepared to spend it alone in her room curled up with a good book and a pint of ice cream.

She really would be alone too. All her siblings were spending the evening with their assorted wives and girlfriends and even her parents went out for the night. Ron and Hermione were going to a party that Neville and Luna were throwing at their flat, and had invited her to come but she had declined, not wanting to feel like a third wheel.

Thinking that she was alone in the house it wasn't surprising that she was startled by footsteps crunching on the snow covered roof behind her. She was even more surprised when she turned around and saw it was Harry that was behind her since she had been avoiding him like the plague since Christmas.

"Hey," Harry said sitting down next to her.

"Hey," she responded not looking at him.

"So what's this I hear about you spending New Years Eve by yourself?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Ginny asked defensively.

"You can't stay here by yourself on New Years Eve, come to Oliver's party with me. Please?" Harry asked giving her his puppy dog eyes.

Ginny looked ay him skeptically, "I didn't go to Neville and Luna's party with Ron and Hermione because I didn't want to be the third wheel. Why would I want to do that with you?"

"Why would you consider yourself the third wheel? I'm only asking you to come with me. I thought you would like to meet all my teammates and there will be a bunch of other Quidditch players there too," Harry told her.

"Isn't Phimie going?" Ginny asked suspiciously, wondering why he had asked her instead of taking his girlfriend.

"No," Harry said, "she doesn't believe in partying on New Year's Eve. She calls it amateur night."

"I see," Ginny said quietly looking at the horizon. A part of her wanted to go but another part of her was still angry at Harry for the whole situation and was hurt that he was only asking her to go with him since he didn't have anyone else to take. She battled back and forth with herself for a moment before deciding that she really didn't want to bring in the new year with only Jack for company.

"So, what do you say?" Harry asked again.

Ginny relented with a sigh, "Fine, I'll go with you. What time do we need to leave?"

"I was thinking about an hour."

"An hour! Harry I still have to take a shower," Ginny exclaimed.

"Well then you better hurry," Harry said in good humor, glad that she was coming.

Ginny just shot him a glare as she hurried past him, into the house so she could get ready for her night out.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ginny walked into the party next to Harry and took a look around, the only person she knew was Oliver himself, but that didn't mean she didn't recognize half the people in the room. It seemed like every other person was a Quidditch player or someone else who graced the pages of Witch Weekly or the Daily Prophet for a variety of reasons.

But Ginny, being who she was, was neither star struck nor intimidated as she started to make rounds around the room with Harry as he introduced her to people. About an hour into the party, she was settled on a couch talking to Harry and two of his teammates when she felt someone's eyes on her. She looked around her until she saw who it was that was looking at her. She made eye contact with a pair of the most striking blue eyes she had ever seen. The man who was attached to those eyes smiled at her, revealing perfect white teeth, then turned back to his conversation.

It wasn't until he looked away that she was able to rip her eyes away from his long enough to observe the rest of him. He was very tan giving him a swarthy complexion which just made his blue eyes and white teeth stand out all the more. He had a perfect Grecian nose and square, manly jaw. His hair was a very dark brown and thick and wavy, almost bordering on curly with a lock that fell over his left eye that he absentmindedly pushed aside just to have it fall right back where it was. His chest was broad and his hips narrow and she couldn't help notice this toned arms and tight abs underneath his fitted white tee shirt or how his distressed jeans slung so perfectly low on his hips. He also had the aura of being completely self possessed and self assured, he looked like the kind of person that was always in control of whatever situation he might find himself in. All in all, she had to admit that he was a perfect example of the stereotypical tall, dark, and handsome male specimen.

She forced herself to look back at her companions and as she felt his gaze turn back to her, she asked Harry's teammate Mackenzie who he was.

"Who?" Mackenzie asked.

"The guy in the white shirt that is looking at me," she told her in a low tone.

Mackenzie looked behind her inconspicuously on the pretense of stretching out her back and turned back around with a smile on her face. "That my dear, is no other than Mauricio Giona, the new Italian import, twenty one years old and drop dead sexy. He's the new seeker for the Magpies and let me tell you he is a fantastic flyer."

Harry was not as nonchalant as he turned around to see him and just scoffed loudly as he turned back around.

"Harry doesn't like him because they are saying that if anyone can beat him, it's Mauricio," Lara, Harry's other teammate, explained to Ginny, "Our little Harry here is threatened."

"I am not threatened," Harry said scoffing again, "I just don't like him because something about him rubs me the wrong way."

"Sure," Lara teased as she to turned to look at the man in question, noticing that he did keep glancing at Ginny. "He is a looker though, and Ginny, he seems to think the same about you, which surprises me."

"What do you mean by that?" Ginny asked defensively.

"Oh no, I didn't mean it like that!" Lara exclaimed embarrassed. "I just meant that I am surprised he is showing interest in anyone. He hasn't showed interest in pursuing anyone since he came to England last summer, they say he is to dedicated to the game for distractions such as a girlfriend."

"And trust me that not for lack of trying," Mackenzie picked up. "I think that every unattached girl in here has tried to 'distract' him at one point or another. Because on top of looking the way he does, he is a total gentleman."

"Really?" Ginny said thoughtfully as she absorbed this information.

"Yup," Lara concerned. "But he certainly seems distracted now, don't look now but he is looking over here again."

Harry scoffed again.

"Got something in your throat Harry?" Mackenzie asked with mock concern.

Harry didn't answer her but addressed Ginny instead, "I'm going to go talk to Wood, are you alright on your own?"

"Yes Harry, I'm a big girl now," Ginny said rolling her eyes.

"Okay," Harry said with a fleeting glance at Giona before leaving to look for Oliver.

The three girls talked for another twenty minutes before they were interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Ginny looked up to see no other than the Italian Quidditch star himself standing behind her.

"I couldn't help but notice you from across the room and I realized I have never met you before and I decided that I absolutely had to come over and introduce myself. I'm Mauricio Giona," he said offering his hand.

"Ginny Weasley," Ginny replied, reaching out to meet his hand to shake it but was surprised when he swiftly took her hand in his and raised it his lips kissing it quickly.

"May I sit down?" he asked.

"Of course," Ginny said scooting over to give him space to sit in the seat previously occupied by Harry. When he sat down beside her she saw that up close his eyes were such a deep blue that they were almost purple.

The four of them made small talk for a moment before Mackenzie and Lara suddenly 'remembered' that they promised someone that they would visit with them. Before Ginny realized what happened she was alone with him and only vaguely aware that every girl in the room was giving her jealous glances.

"So you're here with Harry Potter, are you not?" Mauricio asked at one point in the conversation.

"Yes, I sure am."

"I don't mean to pry, but are you two..." he paused as if looking for the correct word, "involved?"

Ginny almost spat out the drink she was taking a drink of. "Me and Harry? Merlin no, we are definitely just friends," she told him, noticing that Mauricio looked pleased at her answer. "Harry is dating Seraphim Von Burr."

"You don't like her do you?" he asked noticing how she scrunched her nose when she said her name.

"No, not really. I prefer to converse with people with a higher IQ than a soil sample," Ginny said frankly, causing Mauricio to let out a roaring laugh. "I'm sorry," Ginny apologized, "That wasn't very nice of me."

"No it's quite alright. You shouldn't have to apologize for being honest and there is nothing I value more than honesty. Besides," he said leaning in to whisper, "I have had the _pleasure_of meeting Ms. Von Burr myself and I have to tell you, between you and me, I share your opinion."

Mauricio gave her a secret sharing smile that Ginny couldn't help but return enthusiastically. As she sat talking with him for the next hour or so she suddenly realized that she was having a lot of fun talking to him and was glad that she decided to come with Harry.

"I'm ready to go Gin," Harry said walking up to her, interrupting the conversation she was having with the Italian Quidditch star.

"Okay, see you later Harry," she responded giving him only a cursory glance, wanting to hear the end of the story Mauricio was telling her about growing up in a small town in Italy.

"I said that_we_are leaving," Harry said pointedly.

With this Ginny stood up and spun around, the fire in her eyes burning at full force. "_We_my dear Harry, aren't going anywhere._I_am not ready to leave yet._You_do not need to stay if you do not wish, but I'm not going anywhere. Besides, it's not even midnight yet."

"I don't care it's not midnight yet, you still can't stay here without me," Harry told her, "You can't go home by yourself at this time of night."

"It would be my pleasure to escort you home," Mauricio cut in, also standing, causing both of them to look at him in surprise as they had forgotten he was right there.

"See," Ginny said, "problem solved."

"Ginny, can I talk to you outside," Harry demanded, more than asked, as he took her by the upper arm and led her out onto the patio before waiting for a response.

When they got outside and out of hearing reach Ginny wrenched her arm out of Harry's grasp.

"What's wrong with you!" Ginny demanded to know.

"What do you think you are doing in there?" Harry demanded back.

"I'm having a good time. What's wrong with that? You bring me to this party that I didn't really even want to come to and then you get mad at me for having a good time?"

"Well I don't want you having a good time with him!"

"What's wrong with Mauricio? This isn't really about him being your Quidditch rival is it?"Ginny asked laughing at the absurdity of this being the reason.

"No," Harry replied hurriedly. "It's just with that his accent and his eyes and that whole look of his, girls are always making fools of themselves falling all over him at these things."

"Harry in case you didn't notice he talked to me first, not the other way around. You're angry because a guy is actually paying me attention. That someone might actually be attracted to me. And it's not like I am one of those tramps that will just throw themselves on a guy because they are rich and famous. I would never stoop to that level, not like your dear_Phimie._" Ginny told him practically spitting out her name.

"Is that was this is all about?" Harry asked as if he was just now realizing this. "This whole thing is about Phimie, that's why you have been acting so weird this past week. You don't like her."

"How could you do this, how could you be dating that wench? Don't you know that she only wants you for you fame and money?" Ginny shouted at Harry.

"Of course I know that!" Harry shouted back, much to the surprise of Ginny who had not been expecting that response. "Do you honestly think that I would believe that she would want to be with me if I wasn't Harry bloody Potter? For heavens sake, she doesn't even know that my name isn't short for Harold no matter how many times I try to tell her! It's not like I am planning on marrying her, she is just someone to have fun with for right now."

"But Harry, this just isn't like you. You always hated the spot light and the whole scene that your fame provided. I don't know why you have suddenly changed."

"Ginny, I'm eighteen years old, I'm an international Quidditch star, I have more money than I could spend in three lifetimes and so far I have only led the life that was predestined for me. I didn't enjoy fame because I didn't think I deserved any attention for something that I had no control over, something that happened when I was barely walking. How was I supposed to handle fame?" He paused as if waiting for Ginny to respond but when she didn't say anything he kept going.

"I was a scared eleven year old who had spent most of his life living in a cupboard under the stairs, who was suddenly told he was magical and had unknowingly defeated the most evil wizard of all time. I spent the next six years learning that not only was he not dead but he most certainly wanted me that way and that I was the only who can save all of wizard and man kind. That is a lot of pressure for an eleven or sixteen year old to handle and I reacted the only way I knew how."

"But things have changed and that phase of my life is over so is it so wrong for me to want to have some fun and to try to maybe make up for some of the time I lost. I was never a child Ginny, I never knew what it was like to be carefree, I didn't have the privilege. I just want to live my life without having to live up to everyone else's expectations. Ginny don't you think that I know that my actions are not the ones of a selfless hero, who thinks of everyone before himself. Maybe I don't want to be selfless right now. Don't I deserve to be a little selfish? I've done all the work, do I have to be above enjoying some of the rewards. Don't think that I don't know what's really going on Ginny. I know that Phimie wouldn't give me the time of day if I wasn't who I am, but I am who I am and I can't fight that anymore. To be honest, I'm using her too, we're both just looking for some fun and if it wasn't her it would be somebody else."

"I just don't know why you had to pick someone who so obviously doesn't care anything about you and only about your persona. She doesn't know anything about the real you."

"You should know better than anyone that everyone in the wizarding world will see me as the famous Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived, The-Boy-Who-Won, Seeker for Puddlemere United, never as just plain Harry. Even people at school who I went to classes with and lived with for seven years don't know me past what they want to believe or what they read. People just can't see past the scar," Harry said with a defeated shrug, suddenly looking very tired.

"Well I'm sure that you could find a girl that would appreciate being with you because of who you are and not because of your name or scar, if you looked hard enough," Ginny insisted.

Harry laughed cynically, "Ginny, the only women in my life that will ever see me for me are Hermione and you and while I couldn't ask for better friends, you two are like the sisters I never had, but sometimes I just want more then you can give me. "

"All of the sudden I feel like I don't even know you," Ginny said shaking her head in disbelief.

"And if you of all people can't understand the reasoning behind my actions at this point in my life and can't support me, then I feel like I don't know you either," Harry countered.

An uneasy silence feel between them as neither of them knew what else to say, both of them suddenly interested in their feet and deep in thought. For the first time in years they felt truly uncomfortable in each others presence.

"It's late and I'm tired and I'm going home and going to bed," Harry said finally breaking the silence. "I have to get up early because I told Phimie that I would meet her for breakfast in the morning. Am I taking you home or not?"

Ginny who would have left had he not mentioned i her /I name, felt her Weasley pride and determination broil up inside of her. "I'm staying," she told him firmly.

Harry gave Ginny a long searching look that Ginny could not really tell what he looking for in her eyes, whatever it was it didn't seem like he found it because he then dropped his eyes from her face and gave a weary sigh.

"Fine, but I'm only leaving you here because I know that you are more than capable of handling yourself but I swear to Merlin if anything happens...well I just hope he doesn't give me a reason, because I will kill him."

Without waiting for a response he turned on his heal and Disapparated, leaving Ginny alone on the patio with sagging shoulders and a bent head. As she stood alone in the dark she couldn't ignore the dull ache in her chest and the nagging voice from the back of her head that told her that things would never be quite the same between them. She took a deep breath and gathered all the strength and determination inside of her and walked back inside as if nothing had happened.

"Wow that was impressive," Mauricio told Ginny when she came back inside, admiration clearly showing in his eyes. "I think that you are the first person I have ever met that has the courage to stand up to Harry Potter, let alone win. I enjoy a woman who can stand up for herself and speak her mind and can properly unbraid someone when it is needed. It seems like most of the girls in this circle are to busy trying to, how you say, 'bag themselves a rich one' to truly speak their mind. You're different Ginny, I like that."

"Yeah well, I have never been one to take anything lying down, and as far as Harry goes I've known him since I was ten," Ginny took a deep breath, "he's like another brother to me."

"Another brother? How many do you have?"

"Six, all older," Ginny told him.

"Ahh, well that explains you ability to stick up for yourself. You must of had to be tough." Mauricio said with a good natured laugh. "Gezz with six brothers and an almost brother in Harry Potter remind me to get on your bad side," he teased

"Well I think that you should be more worried about me if you get on my bad side, considering all seven of them have taught me well," Ginny teased back.

Mauricio let out another roaring laugh, "Touché Ginny, touché." He paused as if considering something, then seemed to make a decision before speaking again. "Are you doing anything tomorrow afternoon? Because I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go out for some lunch with me."

As Ginny considered his offer for a moment she couldn't help but notice how unburdened and carefree he looked in comparison to Harry. Here was a man that had never known any real great hardship or tragedy. Life had been kind to him, so unlike how it had been to Harry. Harry...he was going to breakfast with that trollop why shouldn't she go to lunch with a perfectly nice guy?

"I would love to," Ginny answered him, causing him to smile even wider, once again displaying his perfect teeth.

On the outside Ginny matched the smile that Mauricio was giving her but on the inside she felt like crying.

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A/N Before you all completely flame me, I know this seems super out of character for Harry and he comes off as a real ass but step away from the main picture for a moment before you completely condemn him (or me for that matter for writing him this way)...He is an 18 year old boy (and I say boy because I believe that most guys at 18 are still very much boys with a lot of growing up to do) who has been to hell and back...he has this opportunity to live this life style that few will ever be given the opportunity and he is curious about what kind of life it could be...also before you all come hunt me down I want to reassure you that this is the darkest period in the relationship between the two of them and things will start on the road to recovery in the next chapter... 


	23. Musings

A/N So the last chapter ended on a pretty dark note, but the good thing about that is that it can only go up from here...Also this is the biggest time jump that will ever take place for this story (this time jump has been planned since the beginning stages of this story, its not because I'm lazy) and you will figure out why that is fairly quickly into the chapter...Also, there's not a lot of action in this chapter, it is more introspective and a look at how our characters are looking at life at this point in their lives.

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"So then I thought that we could have low center pieces that are under lit with tea lights so that they are elegant, but people can still talk to each other over them," Hermione told Ginny as she flipped through bridal magazines. "But I still haven't decided if I want a sweetheart table for just the two of us or if I want a banquet table for the whole bridal party. What do you think?" Hermione asked the redhead. After a moment of getting no response she looked up to see that Ginny was staring intently at her own ring finger on her left hand and the extraordinary rock that was perched there. "And then I thought after the stripper jumps out of the wedding cake, we could turn on the strobe lights and all do the hokey pokey."

"Wait...what?" Ginny asked snapping out of her day dreams.

"Ginny, I know that ring is beautiful and believe me, if I was wearing that thing I wouldn't be able to take my eyes off of it either, but I'm getting married first and I really need my maid of honor's help to plan this thing," Hermione told her gently.

"I'm sorry Hermione, you're right. I think I'm just tired and having trouble concentrating."

Hermione glanced at the clock and was surprised at how late it was, "Well no wonder you're tired, it's almost one in the morning. Go home Ginny and apologize to your fiancé for me for keeping you out so late. Fiancé, I still can't believe that we are both so lucky to be engaged to such great guys "

"I know, and will do," Ginny replied with a half hearted smile as she started to gather up her things. She wasn't really that tired, but she didn't want to stay here listening to Hermione debate between off white, cream or eggshell as the color for the linens either. "Tell Ron bye for me, I would tell him myself but he is probably already asleep."

"I sure will," Hermione told her, as she gave her soon to be sister in law a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Come by tomorrow and we can start looking at flowers."

Ginny just smiled and Disapparated away. When she reappeared in the hallway in front of her front door, she took great care to be quiet, hoping that she wouldn't rouse the sleeping occupant, if he was in fact asleep. When she walked into the entry she saw the light was on in the living room, but she new that meant nothing since he always left the light on for her on nights she came home late.

The penthouse was quiet so she wandered into the kitchen to make her customary cup of tea before she went to sleep. She couldn't help but smile to herself when she saw the kettle full of water, her favorite mug, and a note sitting on the kitchen counter waiting for her. She read the note as she turned on the stove and placed the already full kettle on the burner.

_Hey You!_

_I was going to wait up for you, but I have an early practice tomorrow, so I'm going to bed now since I don't know how long Hermione is going to hold you captive going over all that wedding stuff. But on the bight side of things, at least you will be an expert when it comes time to plan our wedding right? As you probably already figured out (since you always have been the smart one in this relationship), I got all your tea stuff ready for you. So hurry up and drink it and come to bed because I don't dream as sweet when you're not here beside me._

_Love you lots and lots,_

_Me_

Ginny was staring at the ring that she was still not used to wearing when the kettle whistled signaling its completion. Hermione was right, she realized as she poured the boiling water into her mug, she was staring it a lot, but not for the reasons she assumed. She was still trying to convince herself that she was engaged, here she was, twenty years old, with still another year at the Healer Academy to finish, engaged to one of the best Seekers in not only the league, but the world. She knew she shouldn't be surprised, after all, where was she expecting this relationship to be going? They had been together for over three years and living together for almost a year and a half. And it had all led her to this, here she was wearing the ring that had earned itself its own two page spread in Witch Weekly getting itself the title of engagement ring of the year.

To be perfectly honest with herself she didn't even really like it that much, she mused as she sipped her tea. It was a six and a half caret emerald cut canary diamond, flanked by a three caret emerald cut diamonds which were then flanked by smaller baguets. In other words it couldn't be more wrong for her. If someone had asked, her least favorite cut was the emerald cut and she hated baguets, she preferred a classic stone to the colored even though they are more rare and expensive and the thing was just to darn big. The ring was so big it was almost vulgar and it completely weighed down her petite hand.

She stopped staring at her hand when she felt some excited wiggling at her feet. A genuine smile spread across her face as she bent under the table in order to pet an excited Jack, who had obviously just realized she was home.

"Hey there baby," Ginny said scratching his favorite spot just behind his right ear. "What are you sitting on?" Ginny asked the Crup who had the corner of a magazine poking out from under him.

Gently pushing him aside she pulled the latest copy of Witch Weekly out from under his bum. She wasn't surprised to see the cover dedicated to Harry and his latest wench of week, as she secretly called his long lost of girlfriends, and her engagement to Mauricio. It seemed to her that all the big steps in her relationship with him coincided with one of Harry's new girlfriends.

She met Mauricio after Serephim Von Burr, they made it official after Lizette Monaghan, she brought him home to meet her parents after Alexia Davis, she agreed to spend the holidays with his family after Brigetta Bergouin, she told him that she loved him a day after Harry started dating Ella Lorena, she slept with him shortly after the arrival of Kelley Tran, she didn't agree to move in with him until Melanie Hampton, and it wasn't until almost two weeks after the initial proposal, that Ginny gave Mauricio a definitive answer, just mere hours after the announcement of this new girls arrival. And those were just the girls Harry had been exclusive with.

If she had bothered to stop and examine this pattern of behavior on her part, several things would be exceedingly clear. Perhaps she was simply pretending, or perhaps she was in real denial, but Ginny never thought about the connection that their love lives seemed to have. Every time Harry, who seemed to be terrified of commitment, changed girls, she just held onto her relationship tighter.

She continued to sip on her tea as she flipped through the magazine to find the cover story. When she found it, she had to admit that this new girl, Amber Hess, an up and coming singer who promised to be bigger than the Weird Sisters, was beautiful, but that wasn't a surprise, all of them were.

As she read the article she suddenly became aware that she was pulling on the chain that always resided around her neck. She pulled the charm out from under her shirt and rubbed the lighting bolt between her fingers contemplating what it meant and why she still wore it.

"Oh Harry," she sighed to herself, "what happened to us?"

Ever since that fight they had over three years ago, their friendship had never been quite the same, it seemed as if an invisible wall had been placed between them. One manifestation of that had been in their traditional birthday outings. Three years ago had seen them awkwardly going through the motions, each of them playing their part as the best friend but without any real heart in it, two years ago they didn't even attempt to spend the whole day together and just met for lunch, which was the last time that either of them had seen each other and talked to each other outside of Weasley functions as last year it had deteriorated to an owl expressing his apologies for canceling saying that he had practice and they would get together soon, a meeting of course, that never happened.

Even now, when they ended up at the same parties, which happened a lot since they both ran in the same Quidditch circles, both of them made a point to avoid the other and it seemed that one of them would always end up leaving early before they were forced into some kind of interaction.

But still Ginny found herself unable to take the charm off, it was as if she physically couldn't and on top of that she didn't really want to. Seeming able to sense something amiss, Mauricio often asked her about it and even bought her other necklaces in hope that she would replace it, but she simply told him that she liked the one she had and refused to satisfy his curiosity any further.

A part of her felt bad for refusing to tell Mauricio about the charm and the meaning she attached to it. After all they were getting married and he loved her and she him...she did love him right? Thoughts like these had been plaguing her more frequently of late and she couldn't really explain them.

By all accounts she should love Mauricio, he most certainly did love her. In fact he worshiped her, adoring her to the point that Ginny sometimes didn't know what she did to deserve such a loving and attentive boyfriend and now fiancé. She certainly was fond of him and enjoyed spending time with him, but she knew deep down in her heart that she didn't and could probably never love him with the same depth and passion that he bestowed upon her.

She had been perfectly happy and content in the relationship this far and was not sure where all these doubts that had suddenly begun plaguing her, came from. She did love him in her own way and she had always known that Mauricio loved her more that she loved him. In fact if she was going to be completely honest with herself, she liked it that way because it was safe. If he loved her more, than she was in the power position and there was a smaller risk of her getting hurt.

She knew that there was a thousand girls on the planet that would love to be her, that would die to be her. She was a lucky girl, everyone told her so, from people who stopped her on the street, to the writers in all the magazines and papers, to even her mother and best friend. It was the general consensus that she was a lucky, lucky girl.

Ginny took one last large swallow of her tea, draining the cup and stood up to place it in the sink before heading to her bedroom. She watched Mauricio sleep as she undressed quietly to avoid waking him as she got ready for bed.

But now the stakes had been raised, marriage was now on the table. Was a marriage with someone that she knew she didn't love with all her heart, worth playing it safe?

And on top of everything else Ron and Hermione's wedding was approaching and she had all her maid of honor duties to fulfill, which meant that soon she was going to have to start interacting with best man on a regular basis. This best man being the one and only Harry James Potter, and this interaction took the form of dance lessons.

Hermione, perfectionist and control freak as always, wanted to control every aspect of her wedding and this included dancing and she insisted that she and Ron take dance lessons. Ron however, was not too keen on this and the only way that he was persuaded to do it was if he had someone to suffer with. This translated into Hermione forcing Harry into taking the lessons too and since as the best man he would be dancing with the maid of honor, Ginny had somehow been recruited as well.

Ginny didn't know quite how this happened but all she knew was that for the next three months she would be taking dance lessons twice a week with a man she used to consider her best friend, but hadn't even seen since Christmas at the Burrow.

She slipped between the covers and nestled into her pillow her mind still racing when Mauricio, who was still asleep, unconsciously reached out for her and pulled her close, as if even in sleep he wanted to be close to her and protect her.

And lessons began on Monday.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Harry sat back and set his feet up on the coffee table at his new girlfriend, Amber's, flat. Having just finished dinner they were sitting in the living room, he was watching a movie on TV (Amber was muggleborn) and she was flipping through an old copy of Witch Weekly.

"That is one amazing ring," Amber mentioned, stopping to read a particular article.

"What ring?" Harry asked not taking his eyes off the TV as he grabbed a handful of popcorn despite the fact that they had just finished eating.

"Ginny Weasley's engagement ring from Mauricio Giona," she told him, causing Harry to choke on a popcorn kernel making him scramble for his glass of water. Not realizing what caused Harry to have this reaction, Amber continued to speak, "She is one lucky girl. I don't think that there is a woman on the planet who wouldn't want a ring like that."

Once Harry started breathing again, he took another sip of water and behind his glass, and asked as nonchalantly as he could, "So Ginny got engaged?"

"Yup, two weeks ago. According to this article, he was really romantic about it too. He brought her to his hometown in Italy and took her out on his yacht for the night and when she woke up in the morning he had filled the entire room, from wall to wall, with white lilies which are her favorite flowers and he was in the middle of flowers with the ring. What a lucky lucky girl."

"Blue hydrangeas," he muttered under his breath.

"What?" Amber asked looking up from the magazine for the first time.

"What?" Harry said back, unaware that she had heard him.

"What about blue hydrangeas?"

"They're her favorite flower, the article is wrong. Ginny's favorite flowers are blue hydrangeas not white lilies. She liked white lilies until she turned twelve and found out they were the symbol of death and she didn't like that, so she searched through horticulture and herbology books for weeks until she picked a new favorite flower that she felt was pretty and had a meaning that she liked and hydrangeas mean perseverance," Harry said, looking not at her but through her.

Amber looked at her boyfriend as if seeing him for the first time. She had known him for months even though she had only been his girlfriend for a few weeks and she had never seen him look like this before. The Harry she had known was always light hearted and never seemed to take anything seriously. He loved life and always wanted to have fun and never worried about anything. Nothing ever seemed to worry or bother him and he seemed impenetrable. Everything and anything negative simply rolled off his back. He was eternally self assured and confident and nothing seemed to affect him.

But now looking at him, she couldn't see anything of the Harry she had thought she knew so well. Suddenly she realized she didn't know this Harry at all. He was a little bit pale, but besides that he looked so serious and pensive. He was completely lost in thought and looked as if he was in another world. He seemed so vulnerable and contemplative and she didn't know what to say, a part of her almost felt like she was intruding on something.

"How do you know that?" Amber asked.

"She told me once," Harry replied simply.

"I know that she is Ron's sister, but I didn't know that you know her so well. You hang out with him all the time, but I've never even heard you talk about her," Amber mentioned, curious about his sudden shift of mood.

"Yes, I knew her very well. In fact she used to be my best friend, but that was a long time ago," he said softly.

"Knew her...used to be...what happened?"

"I ruined everything."

"What so you mean," she continued to pry. Harry had never opened up to her before and she didn't want him to stop now.

"I was an ass and said things and did things that I never should have and was to much of a git to admit I was wrong and then missed every opportunity I had to set things right. I missed a lot of opportunities to do a lot of things."

"You loved her didn't you? And you still do."

"What?" Harry asked her snapping out of his trance, looking at her like he just realized she was still in the room. "Why would you say that?"

"Well you are talking about missed opportunities and you aren't taking the news that she is engaged very well and for heavens sake you know the girl's favorite flower and the story of how and why the picked it."

Harry didn't say anything.

"So do you love her?"

"No," Harry said determinedly, setting his glass back on the coffee table.

"I don't believe you," Amber challenged.

"I said I don't love her!" Harry snapped. "Now would you just drop it."

Amber was shocked into silence by his outburst as she had rarely seen him irritated let alone angry and never directed at her. He hadn't even raised his voice but the look in his eyes was something she never wanted to see again. It was the first time that she realized that this was the man who had defeated Voldemort.

Harry closed his eyes for a few moments while Amber watched him and when he opened them she saw the Harry she knew was back. He didn't speak on his out burst so she didn't either and they went back to watching TV. It was another half an hour before Harry broke the silence.

"Hey Amber?" Harry said as he stood, "I think I'm going to head home now."

"I thought you were going to spend the night," she said, as she too stood.

"Yeah, well I'm tired and I have a lot to do tomorrow," he lied.

"Okay," Amber said, knowing he was leaving because of _her_, "so will I see you tomorrow?"

"Umm, I don't know, I'll give you a call tomorrow," he told her as he gave her a distracted kiss on the cheek and was out the door before she could respond.

He opted to walk home to his flat instead of Apparating or Flooing as he normally would, needing the time and fresh air to think.

_ENGAGED_ his mind was screaming at him over and over again. He knew they were together for the past three years and they were serious, but marriage? It just seemed so permanent, so final, so forever. He just couldn't believe it, and to _him_ of all people.

If there was one person that Harry despised, it was Mauricio Giona. The whole wizarding world knew of the professional rivalry considering that Harry was considered the number one seeker in the league and Mauricio was considered number two. In fact in his three years as seeker for Puddlemere he had only failed to catch the snitch once and that was to Giona. The memory of it still burned as did the memory of watching Ginny give him a congratulatory kiss afterwards and seeing them walk away hand in hand.

Ginny, that was the other reason that he hated him, the reason the world didn't know. In his mind the deterioration of his relationship of directly linked to her relationship with Mauricio. If he was going to be honest with himself, he knew that the only person he could blame was himself but it was easier to hate Giona for his problems.

But as much as he hated Giona, he hated himself because he knew that he was the reason that they even met and he was the one that drove her to him and that was something he couldn't forget. Every time he saw them in the papers together as they were so often, probably only second to him and his relationships, he was reminded of that fact.

And the thing that made him hate Giona the most was the fact that he didn't really have a reason to hate him at all. By all accounts Mauricio was wonderful to Ginny, even Hermione and Ron, who he often tried to get information about their relationship from, had to reluctantly admit that he was a great boyfriend to her and that they genuinely liked the guy.

So while he was alone in his flat, wanting nothing more than to talk to Ginny, all he could think about was how happy she was without him in her life and how easily she moved on. It was usually when these thoughts plagued him more than normal that he went out to find a new girlfriend. A relationship brought her happiness, why couldn't it do the same for him?

So the more unhappy he became, the happier he acted and the more he went out and partied and the more he went out with different girls. He had become a great actor and no one, not even Ron and Hermione, could tell something was amiss. He had a feeling that Ginny might have been able to see through it, so he just avoided speaking to her when ever they did end up in the parties, that she often accompanied Giona too, or at Weasley functions.

But now, she was engaged and by some twist of fate he wasn't going to be able to avoid her any more. No, he was going to be forced into contact verbal and physical, because somehow, he still didn't know exactly how it happened, he had agreed to dance lessons for Ron and Hermione's wedding, and his partner was to be the one and only Ginny Weasley.

When he had finally reached his building he gave a cursory nod to the doorman and his hand went to the charm that lay under his shirt.

And lessons began next week.

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A/N So what do you think? This chapter is written in a bit of a different style then what I usually write so let me know...I promise this is the last sad chapter...at least for a while because they can only go up from here...This chapter was our favorite couple miserable apart, but what will happen when they get together...the next chapter is already written so give me lots of incentive to update soon... 


	24. Lessons

A/N So now that we are up to speed we can get on with the action and put our favorite couple in the same room again and see what happens...I think you guys will be happy with the results...there is also a nice Ron and Hermione moment for those shippers out there...I'm really happy with this chapter so I hope you all enjoy!

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Ginny was sitting by herself in the little café near the dance studio that they had been having their private dance lessons at, waiting for the other three to arrive to have lunch with them like they always did before they started. Lessons had been going on for over a month now without major incident, on several levels.

Both couples were progressing nicely in terms of their dancing skills although Ginny and Harry took to it much more naturally than Ron and Hermione did. The general consensus was, that this was because they had been sparing partners for so long when Harry had been training for the final battle, that they knew the way each other moved. As a result, their instructor, Ms. Blu, had moved them past the Waltz and the Foxtrot that Hermione and Ron were still working on, to the Tango. She even told them, that she thought that at the rate they were going, they would be able to learn the Rumba and some Swing dancing before their lessons were over and Ginny was excited about it.

The other area in which there had been no major incident was the relationship between her and Harry. They had kept their relationship at a professional level, making sure to stick to topics that they knew wouldn't cause any kind of friction or animosity. Each others relationships being one of the subjects that was definitely off limits. When they did speak, it was usually about the dancing itself or the upcoming wedding or whatever other subject that usually Ron or Hermione brought up, since there wasn't a single moment that she and Harry had been alone without at least one them in the room.

While Ginny was sitting, contemplating wether or not this was intentional or just a coincidence, and wondering what would happen when they did end up by themselves, since it was inevitable that it would happen one of these days, she found out that one of these days turned out to be today when she looked up to see Harry walk through the door of the café by himself with no trace of her brother and his fiancee behind him.

As she watched Harry walk towards her table she couldn't help but be struck by his physical presence. He had an air of total confidence but not cockiness, one that came only when you knew that you have nothing to prove to anyone. Even if you didn't know who he was, without him even opening his mouth and saying a word, everyone automatically knew that he was someone to be respected.

"Hey Ginny," Harry said when he reached her.

"Hey," she replied.

"So Hermione sent me an owl telling me to tell you that she and Ron weren't going to be able to make it to lunch today but they would meet us at the studio later."

"Oh, okay."

He pulled out the chair across from her and sat, neither of them speaking for a moment as they flipped through the menus, even though they both knew everything that was on it.

"So," Harry drawled, thinking of something to say, "How has life been treating you?"

"It's been fair enough," she responded, "I can't really complain."

"You're engaged," he stated, looking at her left hand.

"I am," Ginny said simply, not sure what to think of him suddenly breaking their unspoken rule of sticking to safe topics.

"Your new name is going to be Ginny Giona."

Ginny wrinkled her nose at the sound it, finding it appalling. "I'm keeping my maiden name."

Harry nodded showing his approval. "It's big," he said after another moment, not looking up from the menu.

"It is," she responded knowing that he was talking about her ring without any other kind of indication.

"Just don't jump into a pool with that thing on," he told her with a completely serious look on his face peering over the top of the menu.

"Why?"

"Cause you might sink to the bottom and drown," he explained, as if this was an obvious conclusion.

Ginny just looked at him for a moment not sure on how to react, then her heart won over her mind and she started cracking up, relived that someone else felt the same way she did about it and she didn't have to hear anyone else moon over it. "I know! It's so big its almost vulgar isn't it?"

"Yeah," he said also laughing and also relieved that she took his joke the way it was intended. "And it's yellow, you hate yellow."

"You think I don't know that? And its Emerald cut, I hate Emerald cut!"

"You prefer round cuts, don't you?" he asked, shutting the menu and placing it at the end of the table.

"Yeah," Ginny responded, honestly surprised as she placed her menu on top of Harry's.. "How did you know that?"

Harry seemed to truly think about the question before answering with a laugh, "You know...I have no idea."

Ginny looked at the ring on her finger with an expression like she wasn't seeing it at all. "Is it bad that I am wearing a rock that could probably purchase a small island, that a million girls would die for, that was picked out with such love and care, but I honestly can't stand the thing, hate wearing it and cringe every time someone admires it?"

Harry didn't say anything for a moment as he didn't really feel like this was a question for him to answer. So instead he sat quietly searching her intense but unseeing gaze. "This goes beyond the ring doesn't it Ginny?"

The redhead looked up and suddenly felt as if the last three years hadn't happened and they were still best friends who could tell each other anything.

"You're having doubts aren't you?"

"I am," she said softly twirling the ice around in her water with her straw.

"Do you want to talk about them?"

"Maybe if I actually knew what they were and why I'm having them," she replied dejectedly.

"I understand," he told her knowingly as he reached across the table and covered her left hand with his.

She looked up and gave him a genuine smile, "I thought you might."

"Well I'm here when you do figure it out , if you want to talk."

"I know."

It was then that the waitress came over to take their orders ending the moment they were having. Once she was gone the pair fell back into silence although this one was more thoughtful than awkward.

"So," Ginny said this time breaking the silence, "You have a new girlfriend."

"I do."

"Does this one know your name?"

"Yes," Harry said with a laugh, "this one does know my name."

"How is it going?"

"It's going well, she is super sweet and new to that whole scene so she hasn't really been changed or jaded by it."

"So do you think you might keep her around, could she be the one?"

"No, I was actually thinking of breaking it off pretty soon."

"Already?"

"Yup."

"But you just said-"

"I know what I said and that's why I think it's time to move on. She isn't the one and I think she is starting to like me too much so I wanna break it off before she gets too attached and makes it harder to let go."

"Harry Potter, you are such a serial dater," she teased.

"No I'm not."

"Harry, dating eight people seriously and casually dating countless others in three years is kind of a lot."

"Well I haven't really been serious with any of them."

"That's because you're scared of commitment."

"I am not!"

"Are we having different conversations," she laughed, "Because with what you just said and with your track record, if you're not scared of commitment, then who is?"

"It's not that I'm scared of commitment," he defended himself, "I just haven't found someone worth committing with."

"Right, I remember you told me that you were just looking for some fun and making up for some lost time, I believe were the phrases that you used. So was your mission successful? Did you find what you were looking for?"

Harry considered her question carefully before answering. "At first..."

"What do you mean?"

"Well...It was fun at first, I mean what 18 year old guy would not like living that life style for a while, even if I did know that it wasn't genuine? But the whole scene's charms began to fade pretty quickly, but I kept playing the game I was playing hoping I would still find whatever it was I was looking for. I don't even know what that was anymore, but I know I'm not going to find it living the way I have been living."

"So why are you still doing it even though you realize that?" Ginny asked, honestly curious.

"A couple reasons I think, but I think mainly because I was scared."

"Scared of what?"

"Well for one, I'm used to the way I am living, I feel safe. Even if I'm not a hundred percent happy with what I am doing and the life I am living, there is a comfort in stability and repetition. I know what game I'm playing and I know how to play it."

Ginny found truth in this statement and even realized that this might be playing a factor in her own life and that could be the cause of some of the doubts that she couldn't quite name but stayed silent and listened as Harry continued to speak.

"I've been doing this for so long that I'm not quite sure how to go back to the person I used to be. Because although I like some parts of the person I have become, I think I was a better person at seventeen than I am at twenty one."

"Well Harry," Ginny began as she digested his thoughts, "I think, realizing that is the first big step in being able to be a better person. And I don't think that you should necessarily strive to be the person you were four years ago, but more to figure out which qualities that you miss having and trying to apply them to the person you are today. Because you are right, you have changed a lot since you left Hogwarts, but as you said, not all for the bad. However, Harry James Potter, I can not accept this as the only thing stopping you because you mister, are no coward. I have never known you to not do something that you set you mind to and fear of change should not have stopped you."

Harry gave her a half smile, "Yeah, you're right. There is something else that I was scared of. Something much more frightening."

"What's that?"

"You."

"Me?"

"Yes you," he said teasingly before switching tones and becoming completely serious. "You said the first big step in changing for the better was recognizing that I need to change. The second big step for me, is you. I know that before I can do anything else, I had to make peace with you. I was scared, because after the prat I made of myself, I wasn't sure if you would accept me back."

Ginny didn't know what to say so she opted for silence. When Harry sensed that she wasn't going to speak he continued.

"Ginny, I am a better person for knowing you and frankly, I need you in my life."

Ginny didn't know wether to laugh or cry so she opted to laugh. "I completely understand, I don't know what I would do without me in my life either," she teased.

Harry laughed as well letting out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding, "I've missed you Ginny."

"I've missed you too Harry," Ginny told him sincerely, this time she was the one to reach across the table to take his hand in hers.

"So we're friends again?" Harry asked.

"We have always been friends Harry," she reassured him, squeezing his hand. "We have been through too much together to not be forever linked, no matter what happens. After all why would I still be wearing this if I didn't still consider us friends?" she asked him as she pulled her necklace out from under her shirt.

"You still wear yours?" Harry asked genuinely surprised.

"Yeah. Don't you wear yours?" she responded, about to hurt if he told her no.

"Of course I do, I could never stop wearing it. It means too much to me" he said as he pulled his out as well. "I'm just pleasantly surprised that you feel the same way."

Ginny couldn't do anything but smile.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"They're late," Hermione said looking at her watch for the sixteenth time in the last four minutes as she paced back in front of the front door of the dance studio.

"I'm sure they are on their way right now," Ron reassured his fiancee.

"This was a bad idea, a very bad idea," she said more to herself than Ron. "Why did I let you talk me into letting them have lunch by themselves? I swear I will hurt you if one of them kills the other. We have already had fittings and it is way to close to the wedding to replace the best man or maid of honor."

Ron walked behind her and started to rub her shoulders to release some of the tension.

"I promise that neither of them will need to be replaced. He is a big boy and she is a big girl now and it is way past time for them to work through their issues. And how were they supposed to do that if we never left them alone for more than thirty seconds?" Ron said in rare moment of wisdom.

Hermione relaxed a bit as Ron worked on the knots in her neck, "You're right," she said with a contented sigh.

"It had to happen sometime," he said, his breath hot against the skin behind her ear as he nuzzled softly into her hair.

He was so distracted by his current pursuits that he didn't hear Ginny and Harry's approaching laughs, and was therefore surprised when Hermione jerked her head back right into the space, which unfortunately for him, that was currently occupied by his face. Ron rubbed his nose gingerly as Hermione jumped to greet her best friends.

"Hey guys. Sorry we missed lunch, something came up last minute that we couldn't get out of," she lied, knowing that neither of them believed her.

"It was no trouble at all Mione," Harry said as he moved forward to give the brunette a kiss on the cheek. "We were just fine on our own. We had a very nice lunch, wouldn't you agree peanut?"

Ginny rolled her eyes at the use of this nickname, but inwardly thought about how nice it was to hear it again. "Yes Harry, we had a very nice lunch, I would even go so far as to call it enlightening."

"I concur." Then with a sweeping gesture, he bowed low and offered an arm, "My lady, I do believe we have a date to dance."

"Yes kind sir," she replied casting her eyes down in false demureness, going along with his playful mood and taking the offered arm, "I believe that we do."

When Harry and Ginny moved into the other room, Ron and Hermione lingered behind for a moment sharing matching expressions of happiness, excitement, surprise and disbelief.

"I know I said that I thought you were right about getting them together," Hermione said, "but I didn't think you were going to be this right."

"I didn't either," Ron said honestly.

"How could they have worked through their issues so quickly?" Hermione mused out loud. "I mean looking at them, you would still think they have been best friends forever, it's like the last three years never happened."

"Well," Ron said slowly as if he was choosing his words very carefully, "I think that some people have another person in the world that is their match, and if you are lucky enough to find that person, life seems incomplete without that person. Harry and Ginny are just meant to be together, even if it is just as friends. It was so wrong for them to be apart, that it was easy for them to forgive each other and move past their issues because it only feels natural for them to do so."

Ron was still so deep in thought that he had no idea that Hermione was looking at him as if he had grown another head.

"Who are you and what have you done with my fiancé?" Hermione asked.

"Huh?" Ron responded, looking like himself again.

"That was the most intelligent, deepest, sweetest, most brilliant thing that I have ever heard you say," she said as she launched herself into his arms and wrapped him into a bear hug.

"I must be hanging out with you too much," he joked as he squeezed her back.

Hermione just smiled and looked up at him so that her chin was resting on his chest. "Am I your perfect match?"

Ron smiled down at her and kissed her forehead. "Why else would I be marrying you?"

"Right answer, now come on and lets go inside, we're already late," she said disentangling herself and taking him by the hand to lead him inside.

When they reached the room that they always had their lessons in they stopped at the threshold to observe Harry and Ginny who were already in the midst of the tango. As they stood there Ms. Blu, the elderly and eccentric lady who gave them their lessons walked over to join them.

"You know," she whispered conspiratorially., "I have never seen a couple pick up dancing as quickly and with as much ease as those two have. They just seem so natural in each others arms. They say that the Tango is the dance of passion, and if I didn't know better, and knew for a fact that they are both seeing other people, I would think that I was teaching them to dance for their wedding not yours. I've always thought they might be the best students I have ever had but watching them today, I know they are."

Ron and Hermione both already knew that Harry and Ginny had an innate talent for dancing but watching them dance today they understood what she meant, something was different today, they were different today. Ms. Blu left the room for a moment and went next door to where a class was being held and brought everyone in to observe. They all stood just inside the door and watched the couple who continued to dance oblivious of their audience.

"Look at the way he holds her," Ms. Blu instructed the men. "He has a light touch but a strong one, it's gentle but possessive. And he is looking directly in her eyes, not down at his feet, it looks like all he can see is her. And look at her ladies, she is looking directly into his eyes as well. She has complete trust in him as she allows him to lead her around the floor," she looked at Hermione as she said this as she had a tendency to try to lead. "There is no power struggle between them, they are completely harmonious, each of them giving as much as they are taking, completely in tune with the others thoughts, knowing what the other is going to do next, communicating through their eyes and touch."

Ms. Blu was quiet then as was everyone else as they were captivated by the dancing couple. You could sense the tension in the room, since even though no one would admit it, all the women longed to be Ginny and the men were jealous of Harry.

Finally the music ended and Harry and Ginny struck their final pose and stayed still, chests heaving and faces flushed as they gazed into each others eyes. It wasn't until their audience started clapping emphatically that they jumped apart as if each others touch suddenly burned.

"Excellent, excellent!" Ms. Blu exclaimed as the class returned to the adjacent room, "I think that you have mastered the Tango and I think that Ron and Hermione have their Foxtrot down, so what do you all say to us moving on to some Swing?"

Hermione agreed, Ron looked worried and Harry and Ginny just looked at each other shyly.

* * *

A/N So...Do you all love me again? Our favorite couple is finally a couple again (or at least speaking to each other) and the count down to the inevitable moment that you are all waiting for has finally begun...The next chapter is going to be Ron and Hermione's wedding and let me just say that _everyone_ is going to see them dance, and its not going to make _everyone_ happy...that's all I am going to say and you are just going to have to wait and read the next chapter to see what happens...So if you want me to update show me some review love! 


	25. Weddings

A/N Here it is...

* * *

As Ginny stood at the alter, the whole world melted away except for the man standing across from her. She could hear the binder speaking but couldn't quite make out the words and was only vaguely aware that she was making the correct responses. Before she knew what was happening, she heard the binder pronouncing them man and wife and her new husband was lifting her veil so that they could share their first kiss as a married couple. With her veil lifted she could now clearly see into her groom's emerald eyes and right before she closed her eyes for their first kiss, a sense of warmth and complete happiness pervaded every part of her being.

When she opened them again she gave a small gasp when the eyes that hovered in front of hers were not green, but blue.

"Morning Sugar," Mauricio said softly as he gently pushed a tendril off hair of Ginny's face. "You have to get up, it's the big day and Hermione will have a heart attack if her maid of honor is late."

Mauricio left allowing Ginny to get up and get ready but she stayed in bed a few minutes as she was still reeling from her dream. _I just have weddings on the brain is all,_ Ginny thought to herself. _With all the planning and stuff and Harry's just the one that has been involved,_ she reassured herself as she finally go out of bed.

She pulled on the sweats that she would wear until she changed for the ceremony and made sure her shoes and all of her accessories were in the bag she packed the night before._ It doesn't mean anything,_ she told herself as she got ready to Apparate to the Burrow, _it doesn't mean anything at all_.

When she Apparated to the Burrow she was surprised when Harry was sitting by himself on the swing on the front porch.

Without a word he handed her a cup of her favorite coffee. She sat down and took a sip savoring the taste as she felt the warm liquid slide down her throat before speaking.

"Why are you sitting out here by yourself?" she asked.

"I was waiting for you. I thought I would do you a favor and brief you on what is going on before you walk into the mad house," Harry told her as he took a sip of his own drink.

"It can't be that bad," Ginny laughed as she looked at her watch, "it's only 8:15."

Harry laughed mirthlessly, "So far Hermione had a heart attack when she saw the linens and found out that they were eggshell instead of cream and it took Angelina and Alicia twenty minutes to calm her down. Your mother keeps hugging everyone and bursting into tears randomly. Parker and Annabelle found the fairies that are supposed to light up the ceremony and some how managed to set them free in the attic. Bill and Percy went to go catch them all since they are their kids, but then baby Peyton decided he doesn't like teething about the same time that Fleur got morning sickness and since Penelope is managing the floral arrangements, Percy had to take care of Peyton and Bill went to take care of his wife. So Charlie was delegated to fairy catching, which judging from the crashes that keep coming from the attic, is not as easy as dragon taming. Fred and George keep humming the funeral march every time Ron enters the room that they are in, much to their wives and your mother's displeasure, and he keeps getting paler every time they do it and I'm afraid if they keep it up, he is going to pass out long before the ceremony starts."

"Is that all?" Ginny asked sarcastically.

"Oh and no one has seen your Dad all morning, which is not a good sign with all the Muggle stuff that Hermione had brought in for the wedding. But yeah that's all that has happened since I got here."

"How long have you been here?"

Harry glanced at his watch. "Oh, almost half an hour."

Ginny sighed and drained the rest of her coffee from her cup. "Come on Harry, lets go inside. It's going to be a long day."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ginny stopped and took a moment to look around her. It had taken several months of planning and a very hectic morning of fielding emergencies and narrowly avoiding disasters, but the backyard or the Burrow had been completely transformed into a garden wonderland truly fit for a May wedding. The binding ceremony itself would take place overlooking the pond while the reception would be held in a large heated tent by the garden.

She took one last walk around both sites, checked in with caterers, and got a hold the binder and the DJ to make sure they were coming before deciding that everything was perfect and she could stop worrying about the ceremony and reception, and start worrying the wedding party.

She walked back into the house and found all of her brothers and Harry sitting in the living room in their street clothes, talking and joking.

"What do you guys think you are doing! The guests are going to start arriving in two hours and none of you have even started getting dressed!"

"Relax Gin," Charlie told his little sister, "we're guys, it takes us five minutes to get ready."

"Besides," Bill added, "you're not dressed either."

"I don't care if it only takes you five minutes, it had better be the next five minutes because I want you dressed now! And the only reason I'm not dressed is because I'm standing here yelling at you lot for not being dressed!" Ginny continued to yell.

"Why do weddings make women go crazy?" George asked his brothers.

"I don't know, I think it has something to do with all of the tulle," Fred responded.

"I'm still standing right here!" Ginny growled frustrated.

"Come on guys lets just go change," Harry announced, helping Ginny out.

"Gezz Ron," Fred complained while he got up, "You should have just eloped in Las Vegas like we did."

"Yeah, we didn't have to wear tuxes and it didn't give Alicia or Angelina a chance to go crazy," George agreed.

"Yeah right, not after the fuss Mum made after you two did it," Ron said looking as if he was going to be sick and wished he could have eloped.

Ginny was about to scream at them again when Harry saw the look in her eyes and spoke first.

"We can talk about this upstairs while we get dressed, now lets go," he said as he lead the pack upstairs giving Ginny and understanding look. As he passed by her he paused and whispered, "I'll come and tell you when everyone is ready."

"Thanks," she whispered back gratefully before heading upstairs to make sure Hermione was alright and to get herself ready.

She opened the door to her old bedroom expecting to find a panicked Hermione pacing in circles while making checklists but instead was surprised to see the brunette sitting at the window in her robe, looking out into the backyard with a serene look on her face.

"Hermione?" Ginny asked tentatively.

"It's really happening isn't it," Hermione said still looking out the window. "After months of planning and all the years of being together, in a few hours, I'm going to be Mrs. Ron Weasley." She looked over at Ginny with tears forming in her eyes. "In a few hours, we're going to be sisters for real."

"And I can't think of anyone I would prefer," Ginny said also trying to hold back tears in a rush of sentimentality. "Just don't tell Fleur, Penelope, Alicia or Angelina that."

They both chuckled and Hermione agreed not to tell before the tears finally overtook them and they rushed across the room to give each other a hug. hey were still standing there hugging and crying when both of their mothers walked in to help Hermione get into her dress, soon all four of them were hugging and crying.

"Enough of that," Ginny said after a moment, as she wiped the tears off her cheeks. "At least we all got that out of our systems now, because once we get our makeup on there is no tears allowed. Now come on, we need to make you look like the bride you are."

The other three women agreed and the next hour was a flurry of fabric, hair and makeup and before they knew it, they were ready.

"Oh Hermione, you look beautiful," Molly said, her eyes tearing up again.

"No Mum, we agreed, no more tears now that we have makeup on," Ginny said quickly, although she had to admit that Hermione did look gorgeous in her gown. She was about to tell her so when they were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Don't come in!" all four women yelled in unison.

"I wasn't planning on coming in, that's why I knocked," Harry called from the outside. "I need to talk to Ginny."

"What do you need my maid of honor for?" Hermione asked, not done with her girly bonding moment.

"I need to confer with her over top secret best man/maid of honor type stuff," Harry jokingly replied.

"I'll be right out Harry," Ginny answered as she slipped on her stilettos.

Ginny stepped out of the room and quickly closed the door behind her but stopped when she saw the look on Harry's face.

"What?" she asked worriedly, looking down at herself to see if there was something wrong with her dress.

"Wow," Harry answered with wide eyes.

Ginny smiled, she had been so busy thinking about Hermione she hadn't even thought of what she looked like but from Harry's reaction she knew she looked good in her pale lavender, so pale that it was almost silver, halter dress that accentuated all of her curves and made her already small waist look even tinier as it flared out over her hips until it ended right below her knees.

"What do you think?" she asked as she twirled around to give Harry the whole view.

"I think you look– "

"Absolutely breathtaking," a voice called from below causing both Harry and Ginny to tense up unconsciously.

Ginny turned around quickly to see Mauricio climbing up the stairs towards them, "Hey, what are you doing up here?"

"Can't a man want to see his beautiful fiancée? Mauricio said with a smile as he leaned forward to give her a kiss on the lips. He was surprised when Ginny turned her head slightly so that he ended up kissing her cheek. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Ginny responded quickly, "it's just that Harry and I have a lot to do before the wedding starts."

"Oh, okay. Then I will leave you to your work and I will talk to you at the reception. Although I don't know how I am going to make it that long since you really do look good enough to eat," he said raising his eyebrows suggestively. "Potter," he said warmly, with a nod of farewell towards Harry.

"Giona," Harry responded, less friendly.

Both Ginny and Harry were silent as they watched Mauricio walk down the stairs until he was out of sight.

"So what was it that you wanted to tell me?" Ginny asked once her fiancé was gone.

"Just that all of the guys, including Ron are dressed and ready to go. And that Colin has arrived to take pictures and he said he wants to do all the portrait shots directly after the ceremony before the sun goes all the way down and that he also wants to talk to you about something," he said in a business like tone.

"Okay, thanks," she said turning to go downstairs to find Colin.

"Oh and Peanut," Harry called in a much softer tone causing the redhead to turn around, "you really do look beautiful."

"You don't look so bad in that tux yourself," Ginny said smiling before continuing down the stairs. Harry watched her go until he couldn't see her anymore and then went back upstairs to go see how Ron was holding up. When he opened the door to the room he had slept so many summer nights in, he saw Ron lying on the bed staring at the ceiling.

"How you doing mate?"

"I'm bloody terrified, I don't think I was this scared when we were facing Voldemort," Ron confided.

"And why was that?" Harry asked.

"Well, because you and Hermione were there with me," Ron answered without thinking.

"This isn't any different, we are still right here next to you. This is just a way to show everyone that you want Hermione to be right there with you for the rest of your life. Which despite what the twins keep telling you, getting married is not going to kill you like defeating Voldemort killed me," Harry comforted.

"You're just trying to make me feel better," the red head grumbled as he fiddled with his tie.

"Come on Ron, this is Hermione we are talking about. This is the same girl that barged into our train compartment looking for Neville's toad and told you that you had dirt on your nose. The same girl that we had to save from the troll because you made her cry."

"The same girl we saved the Sorcerer's Stone with," Ron added.

"Who made a Polyjuice Potion when we were twelve and turned herself into a cat."

"Who time traveled for a year to take a million classes and never told us and walked out of Trelawnery's class."

"Don't forget helping to save the life of a wanted criminal who also happened to be my Godfather."

"Who got mad at me because I didn't ask her to the Yule Ball except as a last resort and Vicky had already asked her."

"Who founded SPEW and forced us to join."

"Who gave us nagging homework planners for Christmas and is the only reason we did as well as we did in school."

"Who came up with the idea for the DA and made it work."

"I love her," Ron said, sitting up suddenly.

"I know you do," Harry replied.

"I'm marrying her."

"I know you are."

"I'm okay with that," Ron said, a look of peace on his face.

"Well that's good because it's time to go downstairs, the wedding starts in twenty minutes," Harry told him, looking at his watch.

Ron only blanched a little bit as he stood up and followed Harry downstairs.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The ceremony was planned perfectly so that the sun was setting over the pond just as the Binder was announcing Ron and Hermione, man and wife. As his best friends shared their first kiss as a married couple, Harry looked across from at Ginny; what he saw took his breath away. She was backlit by the setting sun so she almost looked like she was glowing. With a soft breeze blowing the hem of her dress around her knees and the curled tendrils of hair around her cheeks and the blissful look that played across her countenance she looked every but an angel surrounded by her halo.

He was so entranced by what he saw it took him a moment to realize that she was smiling at him and for him to smile back. And the next thing he knew the binding was over and he was escorting Ginny back up the aisle.

"Beautiful, wasn't it?" Ginny mentioned while the walked to where they were going to take pictures.

"It sure was," Harry responded lost in thought.

"Is something wrong Harry?" Ginny asked.

"No, I guess I'm just anxious to get through pictures so that we can go eat dinner," he said causing Ginny to laugh.

"You've really been around my brothers too long," she teased. "But I'm excited for after dinner so that we can show off our dance moves."

Harry was going to respond but Colin started gathering them together to pose for pictures.

As was tradition, the newly married couple began by sharing their first dance as husband and wife, which was followed by the second dance in which they were joined by the bridal party. And while it was supposed to be Ron and Hermione's day, as soon and Harry and Ginny stepped onto the floor dancing to It Had To Be You, all eyes where on them.

It wasn't just their physical appearances that attracted so much attention, even though there was no one there that night who would be able to deny the fact that they made a strikingly handsome couple. But there was just something about the way they glided across the dance floor that was absolutely magnetic to everyone observing. They seemed to move as one being, in perfect time to the music. There was something simply magical, in every sense of the word, about the aura they created around them that simply demanded attention.

Ginny was completely oblivious to her environment, just as she always was when they danced together. They were simply too caught up in the music and the moment to pay any attention to what was going on around them. When she was in Harry's arms it seemed like it was just him her and the music. As the song wound down Harry pulled her in close and with his hand placed on her lower back and both their hips swaying back and forth to the music Ginny let out a laugh as Harry began to sing along with the music.

_Some others I've seen,  
Might never be mean  
Might never be cross,  
Or try to be boss  
But they wouldn't do_

_For nobody else, gave me a thrill  
With all your faults, I  
Love you still  
It had to be you, wonderful you  
It had to be you _

As they struck their final poses, the couple was completely oblivious to the picture they were making or the stir of whisperings they were causing. Ginny was too busy swimming in a sea of emerald green and Harry was lost in the depths of cinnamon brown. Even the most unperceptive observer would be unable to recognize the look of utter contentment and bliss that played across both of their countenances. Everyone could almost see the electricity jumping between them. If one had not known better, they might think that Harry and Ginny were the couple in love that had just gotten married.

There was one wedding guest in particular that was not unperceptive and did know better and was not happy watching his fiancée dancing so euphorically in another man's arms. His stomach dropped when he saw Harry whisper something to her and she let out a delighted giggle. And it was with a pained expression he ripped his eyes from the dance floor, stood, and walked purposefully to the bar.

Harry and Ginny danced to the next song together and the next and then one more before Ginny remembered her promise to talk to Mauricio. When the song came to an end she excused herself from Harry and went to look for her fiancé. It took her a good forty five minutes to actually find him since she was constantly being stopped by family members or friends who wanted to say hello. When she finally found him she was surprised to see him sitting by himself at the bar since he wasn't a big drinker.

"What are you doing?" Ginny asked curiously.

"I'm getting sloshed," Mauricio said sullenly. "What does it look like?"

"Well I can see that," Ginny said referring to all the empty glasses as she started to get irritated. "I just want to know why."

"Because it's what I feel like doing. Do you have a problem with that?"

Ginny was in shock, she had never seen Mauricio so insolent before and she didn't know what to do. "Yes, I have a problem with that," she whispered as she stepped in front of him. "In case you didn't notice this is my brother and best friend's wedding and I'm not going to have you ruin it because you woke up and decided to be a complete arse today."

"I thought Potter was you best friend," Mauricio mumbled into his drink as he took another sip.

"He is, I'm allowed to have more than one best friend aren't I?" Ginny asked incredulously.

"Why even bother asking me? It obviously doesn't matter to you what I think or what everyone else thinks does it?" Mauricio shot back.

"What are you talking about?" the redhead whispered furiously.

"I talking about you and your_ best friend_ practically making love on the dance floor!" he whispered back just as furiously.

Ginny mouth opened in stunned shock for a moment unable to speak until her anger broiled back up. "It's called dancing Mauricio and we are dancing together because I am the maid of honor and he is the best man. Where do you think I have been going twice a week for the past three months, to get my nails done?"

"Well if I had known you were dancing like that I wouldn't have let you go!"

"Let me go? Let me go...that's a good one. Like you could stop me from doing whatever I wanted," Ginny said with an angry laugh, though still careful about keeping down the volume on their fight. "You know what," she said, taking a deep breath, "you are drunk and I am not doing this with you right now, especially here in the middle of Ron and Hermione's wedding reception. Go home and we will talk about this later when I get there."

They stood there staring at each other, both of them waiting for the other to break down and say something when a voice sounded from behind them causing them both to turn around.

"Ginny!" Harry called jovially. "I've been looking all over for you. I talked to the DJ and he said he would play something that we can swing to," Harry said as he rolled up the sleeves on his shirt since he had already shed his coat and tie. He stopped when he felt the tenseness between the couple. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No Harry," Ginny said with a bright smile, "we are quite finished here." She turned and glared at Mauricio. "Go home," she demanded. She waited until he listened and Disapperated before she took Harry's offered arm and let him lead her back to the dance floor.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Harry asked as the music started.

"Of course I'm okay, now lets just have a good time and dance."

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Harry was in the middle of a dream about tap dancing hippogriffs wearing top hats when a rapping on his front door awoke him with a start. At first he thought it was just thunder from the spring storm that had rolled in about the time he got home until he heard it again. A quick glance at his alarm clock told him it was just after four thirty in the morning and he had only been home from the wedding for about two hours and asleep marginally shorter.

"Just a minute!" he called sleepily to the front door as he stumbled around looking for his T-shirt. _Who could that be,_ he asked himself as he shuffled through the living room towards his unexpected visitor, hoping that whatever they wanted would be quick so that he could go back to bed.

However, the sight that greeted him on the other side of the door caused all thoughts of sleep to vanish from his mind.

"Ginny? Merlin, what happened to you!" He exclaimed as he opened the door to reveal the redhead.

She was still wearing her dress from the wedding, but now the lavender silk was soaked through by the storm and her hair which had been coiled so carefully in an elegant updo earlier in the evening was now falling in a wet tangled mess around her face, her black mascara was running down her cheeks which he could tell was caused just as much by tears as by the rain. At some point had taken off her stilettos because she was barefoot and was holding the shoes in her left hand along with a damp and unhappy Jack. But the thing that disturbed him most about her appearance was the purple bruise that was angrily marking the right side of her pale countenance.

"Oh Harry!" Ginny sobbed, "I'm so sorry to wake you but I didn't know where else to go. Ron and Hermione are on their Honeymoon so I couldn't go there and I couldn't go back to the Burrow looking like this and I...and I... I ..."

Ginny said something else but Harry couldn't make it out and he knew it wasn't important at the moment. He took Jack from her hands and placed him inside the door then placed an arm around Ginny's shoulders and led her inside closing the door softly behind them.

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A/N So what did you think? I bet you weren't expecting that ending were you...things are really starting to get interesting aren't they? So let me know what you all think! 


	26. BreakUps

A/N Okay so I'm reposting this chapter for a couple reasons...One, I reedited it and fixed a bunch of mistakes and also added some new stuff...Two, I also choppeda bunch off the end that is now the begining of chapter 27...once I started writing chapter 27 I realized that what was the end of this chapter and what was the begining of the next chapter fit together better than what I had origionally... andthree that I needed the extra chapter forpacing anyways beforewhatwas origionally goingto be chapter 27 but is now 28...I hope that makes sense...

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Harry stood frozen in shock for a moment before he was able to comprehend what was happening and start moving again. The last thing he had expected to happen before he went to bed, was to be awoken a few hours later by a wet, hysterical, and most surprising of all, bruised Ginny. He put a caring arm around her shoulder and led her inside, quickly depositing her on the couch before taking the Crup from her arms. He then grabbed an extra blanket from the foot of his bed to wrap around Ginny's shivering frame before he stopped in the kitchen, finding a bag of frozen peas in the freezer to place on her swollen cheek.

He sat down next to the sobbing redhead who didn't react as he placed the blanket around her shoulders and only flinched slightly when he put the cold bag against her bruised face.

"Gin, did he hit you?" Harry asked after a moment.

The redhead, who had been starting to calm down, started crying again in earnest as she collapsed into Harry's arms, burying her face in his chest, clinging to his shirt as if it was the only thing keeping her grounded as she thought back to what did happen.

After she had seen Ron and Hermione off on their honeymoon, she had wearily Apparted home, prepared for a fight with Mauricio. Half expecting him to be drunk and belligerent or passed out on the couch, she was surprised to instead find him sitting at the kitchen table, quite sober and nursing a cup of tea.

_"Mauricio?" she called tentatively from the doorway. _

"_Hey Sugar," he replied, looking up from his tea. "How was the rest of the reception?"_

"_It was nice," she said noncommitaly. She was quiet a moment, not sure what else to say, but feeling like she should bring up the fight they had. "Look–"_

"_I'm sorry," Mauricio interrupted before she got any further._

"_What?" Ginny asked confused, as she was more prepared to hear accusations than apologies._

"_I said I'm sorry," he repeated quietly. "I shouldn't have gotten so jealous and made a scene like that. I don't know what got into me, I know that you are only friends with Harry, but it was still hard for me to watch. I guess I have just been feeling a little neglected lately with you spending so much time with him the past few months and then seeing you two dancing...I love you so much Ginny that sometimes I overreact."_

"_I'm sorry too. I really haven't been the most attentive fiancée lately. I guess I've been so wrapped up in the wedding plans that I took you for granted."_

_Ginny gave Mauricio an apologetic smile that he returned tentatively, but it was clear to her that he still had something else to say, so she waited for him to speak. _

"_I hate to do it, but I have to ask...nothing is going on between you and Potter is it?" he asked, almost nervously._

"_No, of course not," Ginny told him with conviction. "Harry is just my friend and will only ever be my friend. You don't have to feel jealous threatened because nothing romantic would ever happen between us. Harry and I are close, but we have a different kind of relationship and connection from the one we have. You're the one I'm marrying remember?"_

"_I know, and I trust you. I'm sorry I even asked."_

"_And I'm sorry I made you feel like you had to ask." _

_Mauricio stood and walked over to where she was standing in the doorway and took her in his arms and kissed her softly. "So we're both sorry and we're both forgiven?"_

_Ginny smiled and nodded her head in agreement. "How did I get so lucky to find you? You do realize how much I do appreciate you don't you?"_

_Mauricio gave her a wicked grin, "Why don't you show me just how much you do appreciate me?"_

_Ginny smiled as she caught his meaning and led him into their bedroom. Once they were inside, she turned around quickly to close the door and Mauricio wrapped his arms around her from behind and started kissing her from her temple down her neck to her collarbone._

"_You looked gorgeous tonight, I've been wanting to do this all day," he muttered in between kisses paying special attention to her favorite spot just beneath her jaw line. _

"_Mmmm, Harry," Ginny moaned so quietly that he almost didn't hear her._

_Mauricio stopped what he was doing and pulled away, "What did you say?"_

_Ginny's eyes opened wide, not believing she had said what she just said. "I didn't mean it, it's just that we were just talking about him and he was still on my mind."_

"_He is always on your mind Ginny! Don't you think I know that?" Mauricio said in frustration as he turned away from her._

"_What are you talking about?" Ginny asked._

"_Ginny, you have been in love with Harry Potter since the day I met you," he said blandly._

"_That's not true!"_

"_Yes, it is!" he insisted turning back around to face her. "I see the way you look at him, or the look in your eyes every time you hear his name or read about him in some article. I know that it's his arms you want holding you at night instead of mine. You said not ten minutes ago that you two are just friends and I wanted so badly to believe you...so I did. But that doesn't mean that I haven't seen the looks of longing in your eyes every time you saw him at a party, or that I didn't see that he was giving you the same look. And that was before you two started talking to each other again. After watching you two dance tonight, don't even dare tell me that you don't love him, everyone in the room could see it."_

"_That's not true, I love you."_

"_If that's so, then why is it his name that you whisper in your sleep. Do you know what it is like to have to worry that in even in the most intimate of moments, that the person you are opening your soul to, is wishing you were somebody else?"_

"_Mauricio, I–"_

"_No Ginny, I can't do this anymore. I thought that perhaps I had enough love for the both of us. I kept hoping that if I loved you enough, if I had enough patience, that maybe one day you could love me back. I tried everything I could think of, I showered you with all the love and affection that I posses, but it just wasn't enough. I thought that maybe if we got married things would change and I would be the only person in your heart, but I can see now they aren't going to. It was hard enough living in that man's shadow when you two weren't speaking, but now that you are best friends again...I can't do it, I can't take it. I tried not to be jealous, and I tried to be understanding, but I'm still human and I can't sit idly by all day and watch you pine over him, knowing you are wishing I was him. I wont be made a fool of Ginny, not even for you."_

"_What are you saying?"_

_Mauricio looked into her eyes for a long moment before turning away and replying softly, "I'm saying that I think we should break up, I'm calling off the engagement."_

"_But you haven't let me explain anything," she said taking a step towards him._

"_There is nothing to explain, we both know I speak the truth. Why else would you continue to wear that necklace of his."_

_Ginny gapped at him in surprise since she had never told him what the necklace meant. _

"_Don't look so shocked Sugar," he told her with a bitterness she had never heard before in his voice. "I asked Ron why it meant so much to you years ago. Why do you think I tried so hard to get you to replace it with something I gave you?"_

"_Mauricio–" Ginny started again, not sure what to say._

"_I mean it Ginny, we're through," he said, the finality clear in his tone as he walked into the bathroom._

"_But–" Ginny tried one last time, chasing after him as she reached out to grab his arm._

"_No!" he yelled, pushing her hand away more forcefully than he had intended._

_Ginny stumbled backwards catching one of her spiked heels on the looped rug, causing her to fall and hit the side of her face on the edge of the bathtub. She cried out in pain as her hand flew up to her face, already feeling it start to swell._

"_Merlin! Ginny are you alright," Mauricio asked, rushing towards her in concern. _

"_Yes, I'm fine," Ginny replied quickly as she blinked back tears and swallowed the metallic taste of blood from where she bit the inside of her cheek._

"_Gods Ginny, I am so sorry, I didn't mean to make you fall," Mauricio said quickly as bent down to reach out to the red head._

_Ginny moved out of his grasp, awkwardly standing, grasping the edge of the claw foot tub, her head still spinning from the force of the impact. "It's alright, it was an accident. I caught my heel on the rug, it wasn't your fault, but I think I should go now," she said as she attempted to move past him._

"_You're not going anywhere, you might have a concussion, I should take you to St. Mungos or something," Mauricio said grabbing her arm to steady her as she swayed. _

"_I said I'm fine," Ginny said forcefully. "Now please let me go, I would really like to leave now. If we are no longer engaged, then I no longer live here. _

She had fled from him and their flat, only stopping to grab Jack before leaving. The summer storm that had been threatening since she had left the Burrow finally arrived as the clouds opened up, drenching her as she walked the streets of London. She knew she had to go somewhere, but she didn't know where, so she simply continued walking. She didn't want to go back to the Burrow and answer her mothers questions and she couldn't go to Ron and Hermione for obvious reasons and she certainly didn't want to go to any of her and Mauricio's mutual friends.

It wasn't until she was about two blocks down the street that tears started pouring down her face as she realized that she had just ruined the best thing that ever happened to her because she couldn't let go of her infatuation for a man that would never see her as anything more than a friend. The wet streets were too slippery to walk on in her heels especially with her head throbbing and spinning from her fall so she paused and slipped them off before resuming her aimless walking not even noticing the other few people that were actually out at this hour, dashing about trying to get out of the rain.

She stopped suddenly when she realized where he feet had brought her. Somehow she had ended up in front of Harry's building which she, in her hysterics, had forgotten was only a couple blocks away from the home she shared with Mauricio.

"Ginny," Harry said again, breaking her out of her trance with a gentle hand against her cheek, "Please tell me, did he do this to you?"

Ginny looked up from where she was crying on his chest up into his eyes where she saw concern for her, anger at Mauricio and another emotion that she was too distraught to define.

"No," she choked out, "he didn't hit me, it was an accident," she told him as she placed her head back on his shoulder.

"Then what happened?" Harry asked confused.

"He broke up with me," she sobbed, "I ruined everything."

"Why would he do that?"

"Because he thought that I–" Ginny stopped herself before she finished, remembering who she was talking to.

"He thought you what?" Harry pressed gently, wanting to know what he did to her, so he would know what he was going to have to do to him.

"I don't want to talk to about it," she sniffled.

"Alright, but are you sure he didn't hurt you? Because it told you that I would kill him if he ever gave me a reason to," Harry said thinking back to the day Ginny met the Italian Quidditch star.

"Please don't do anything to him Harry. I swear he didn't hurt me, it really was an accident," she told him sincerely.

Harry looked doubtful but nodded after a moment assuring her that he wouldn't do anything rash.

"Thank you," she said. "I'm sorry I woke you up but I didn't want to go back to the Burrow and I don't want to impose, but I just need a place to stay tonight, I promise to be out of your way tomorrow."

"Well of course you can stay here tonight," Harry said quickly. "In fact you can stay here as long as you want to."

"Really?" Ginny asked looking up at him once again with watery eyes.

"Of course you can. In fact, I insist on it," he reassured her. "I've missed having a roommate since Ron moved out last year so you will actually be doing me a favor by saving me from the boredom of my own company."

Ginny gave him a weak smile of gratitude and sniffled as she stopped crying.

"But right now," Harry told her as he dried her cheeks with the hem of his t-shirt, "I think that you need a hot shower and some dry clothes. Did you bring any?"

Ginny silently cursed herself for not thinking practically and packing up any of her belongings to bring with her, "No, I didn't even think about it."

"Well that's alright. I am sure I can find something for you to wear. Although my clothes might be a bit big for you. At least I hope all of my stuff is to big for you, because it would be a severe blow to my masculine ego if it fits," he joked trying to brighten her spirits. "Wait right here and I'll be right back."

Harry walked back into the living room a moment later and saw that Ginny hadn't moved a muscle since he had left and was staring blankly out the rain soaked window. "Gin, are you alright?" he asked, bringing her back to reality as she looked at him with dry but sad eyes. She didn't speak, but the heart breaking look on her face was answer enough. "There is a clean towel in the bathroom and here are some of my old sweats for you to change into."

"Thank you," she said quietly taking the clothes from him and walking past him into the bathroom.

It turned out that a warm shower was just what she needed and she came out feeling much more human than she had felt going in, but exhausted from her very long day. Harry was waiting for her when she came out of the bathroom.

Harry chuckled a little when he saw her, he had found some of his old Quidditch sweats from Hogwarts and even though they didn't fit him anymore, they were still incredibly oversized on her small frame. She was wearing a pair of gray sweat pants with the _Gryffindor_ spelled down the right leg in red and they were so long on her that she was walking on them and he could only see her pedicured toes peaking out from the cuffs. The t-shirt, now damp from her wet hair, had_ Seeker _printed on the front and_ Potter _across the back was just as big, and although he didn't dare tell her, he thought she looked adorable.

"Your male pride can remain intact since you were obviously right about your clothes not fitting me," she joked when she saw his appraising eyes.

"Well thank Merlin for that," he joked back. "I already fixed up the guest room for you, I figured you would want to get some sleep."

Ginny yawned, as if on cue and they both smiled as he lead her down the hallway. They were both quiet as she climbed into the large bed and underneath the fluffy down quilt.

"So, I'm right next door if you should need anything and please don't hesitate to call me for any reason," he told her, standing awkwardly in the doorway. After a moment of her not responding, he cleared his throat and turned to leave.

"Harry?" she called just before he closed the door, causing him to stop and turn back around. "I hate to ask even more than I already have, but would you mind staying with me awhile...I mean just until I fall asleep."

"Of course," he said with a reassuring smile as he moved to the opposite side of the bed and chose to lay on top of the blankets until Ginny fell asleep to the feeling of him running his fingers through her damp hair.

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A/N So congratulations to those of you that were right in thinking that Mauricio wouldn't hit Ginny...of course he isn't a complete saint as you will all see in the next chapter...so now that Mauricio is no longer in the way certain doors are now open hint hint so why don't you all leave me some review love por favor and tell me what you all think... 


	27. Homes

A/N So some of you might notice that the begining of this chapter waspreviouslythe end of the last chapter...yousee, this chapter wasn't originally planned or if anything it was supposed to be a tack on the end of the last chapterand the beginning of the next one, but once I started writing what is now chapter 28 I realized that I needed it to be a completely different chapter so I went back and changed some things...but I figured that you guys wouldn't complain since you get an extra chapter out if it...and now that it's written I think it was necessary...there is more explanation in chapter 26 which I also changed some what so you might want to check that out as well...so without any further ado Chapter 27 Homes...

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Ginny spent the next week planted on Harry's couch in various pairs of his old sweats watching bad daytime movies about Muggles with bigger problems than hers and going through several gallons of ice cream. An outside observer might think that had never moved except for the changing bowl colors.

In that time of reflection and chocolate chip cookie dough, she came to several conclusions. She realized that Mauricio was right in that they shouldn't get married, she didn't love him in the way that he deserved his wife to love him, Mauricio was a good man and he didn't deserve to be treated and taken advantage of the way she had and it was for the best that they break up. But that didn't mean that she wasn't sad to say goodbye to a relationship that had been such a huge part of her life for the past three years. While she wished things had turned out differently, she realized that they couldn't and it was time to get off the couch and move on with her life.

It was with this mentality that Ginny approached Harry one morning with a purpose, looking the most like herself that she had since she arrived at his doorstep the week before.

"I'm going today to pack up all my belongings," she informed him as he walked out of his bedroom.

Harry jumped in surprise when he saw her standing outside of his door. He had assumed that she was already camped out on the couch like she had been every other morning for the past week. "Are you sure you're ready to do that?" he asked, concerned about her and her mental state.

"Yeah, this is something I have to do. I can't keep wearing your clothes forever after all and besides, I'm going to need some of my own clothes if I am ever going to go outside again. And as much as I would like to hide out here forever, I'm going to have to face the big bad world eventually," she joked. "Plus, I've already missed a week of class and considering I have exams in two weeks I really need to get my books so I don't fail."

"Well, you know you are welcome to wear my clothes whenever you want and for as long as you want, but if you are going over there, I am coming with you," he said in a tone that left no room for her to disagree. He didn't want her to be alone with Mauricio if he was home as he was still wary of what had happened the night they broke up.

"Alright," Ginny said, silently relieved that Harry would becoming with her, "and you may not have choice about this sweatshirt, I've become rather attached to it and I may decide to liberate it from you permanently," she joked referring to the one she was currently wearing.

"And I already told you that you could keep it. It looks better on you anyways," he teased back. "Now lets eat some breakfast so we can go and get this over with."

When they arrived at Mauricio's flat an hour later Harry knocked on the door, when there was no response Ginny used her key to let them in to her former residence. A quick look around assured her that her ex-fiancé was out for the moment and she gave a small sigh of relief. She stood in the doorway to her bedroom, _old bedroom,_ she corrected herself, not knowing where to start. She jumped slightly when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder but relaxed when she realized that it was only Harry.

"What can I do to help?" he asked. "We should probably move quickly if we want to get out of here before Giona gets back."

Ginny knew Harry was right even though the situation felt a bit surreal to her. "Would you mind packing up all of Jack's stuff? His toys are in a box in the living room and his food, bowls and treats are in the kitchen."

Harry nodded, placed a friendly kiss on her forehead and gave her a reassuring smile, knowing how tough this was for her, before leaving her to pack up her clothes.

Ginny was just grabbing the last of her clothes out of the closet and was going to place them in her suitcase when someone's presence in the doorway caused her to give a small yelp and drop her winter coats. The look on Mauricio's face showed that she was just as surprised to see her as she was to see him.

"Ginny!" he said, with a mixture of shock and relief in his tone.

"Mauricio," she responded flatly as she bent down to pick up the clothing she dropped.

"I've been so worried about you," he continued, "I talked to all of our friends and no one as seen or heard from you for days. I thought something happened to you, especially since you left in the middle of that storm after hitting your head."

He crossed the distance between them quickly and took her chin in his hand and forced her to stop packing and look up at him. Ginny looked up into his eyes and even after what he had said to her and all that she had put him through, she saw love for her radiating from him.

"Are you okay?" he asked gently as he brushed a rough thumb gently over the angry bruise that was not longer purple, but now turning a sickening yellowish green color.

But before Ginny could answer another voice sounded from the hallway causing Ginny to jump away from Mauricio's touch and turn back to her packing.

"Peanut, I got all of Jack's things and I also grabbed all of your pictures and other belongings that I could find, out of the living room, kitchen and study. Is there anything else that I–" Harry stopped short when he saw that Ginny was not alone.

Ginny looked up and saw the animosity between the two men flare up in both of their countenances and she knew she had to say something and get them separated before one of them lashed out sat the other. "Mauricio, Harry is just helping me pack up my stuff, we will be gone in a few minutes. Harry, would you please take the bags that I have finished packing into the livingroom and shrinking them for me?"

The look Harry responded with showed her that the last thing he wanted to do was leave her alone with her ex-fiancé, but the pleading look in her eyes broke his resolve and he moved past Giona quickly so that he could grab Ginny's bag so that he could do as she asked.

He paused on his way back out of the room and whispered in her ear, "I'll be right outside, just call me if you need me for any reason and I'll be in here in a flash."

She gave him a tentative smile in response, his reassurance just what she needed to face whatever Mauricio was going to do or say. As soon as Harry was out of the room Ginny turned back to the closet and started heaping shoes into a duffle.

"I should have known," Mauricio's voice sounded bitterly from behind her. Ginny knew what he was referring to and chose to ignore him. "Here I was worried sick about you, but I should have known you would run to your lover," he said maliciously with a laugh that conveyed anything but amusement.

Ginny picked up the now full duffle and walked past him into the bedroom, her shoulder brushing against his as she past. She didn't have to look behind her to know he was following her as she kneeled on the floor to see if she had anything under the bed.

"Are you happy now that you have what you always wanted?" he asked cruelly as she pulled out an old jumper and the left trainer that she had searching for out from under the bed. She was shoving them into the duffel when she felt him standing behind her and his hot breath against her ear. "So tell me sugar, did you fall into bed with him the night you left or did you wait a whole day out of respect for our relationship?"

That was the last straw for Ginny who then spun around and slapped Mauricio soundly across the face. Mauricio gave no physical reaction but his blue eyes flashed angrily as the pink outline of Ginny's small hand appeared on his cheek.

"How dare you speak to me that way!" Ginny yelled furiously. "You have no right to talk about things you don't know or understand!"

Harry, who had been waiting anxiously for any sign of trouble came running in when he heard Ginny yell. He saw Mauricio clench his fists in a sign of impotent fury and then look between himself and Ginny.

"I want both of you out of my home before I get back," he said in a dangerously calm tone before turning quickly and storming out of the room. Harry and Ginny both stood still, not saying a word until they heard the front door slam angrily.

Once she knew he was gone, Ginny's sat down on the bed and put her face in her hands in a show of exhaustion and defeat. It was only a few seconds before Harry was kneeling at her feet gently prying her hands away from her face.

"Are you alright?" he inquired looking up into her eyes which were welling up with tears that she refused to let fall. She nodded, not trusting her voice to speak. "Are we all done here?" he asked gently after a moment, receiving another nod in answer. "Alright then," he said standing up and bringing her with him, "let's go home."

"Home," she echoed softly as she followed him out of the flat leaving her, engagement ring, key, and a big part of her life behind her.

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"What shape do you want your pancakes in this morning?" Harry asked over his shoulder to Ginny who was sitting at the kitchen table paging through the latest edition of Witch Weekly as she shipped her coffee.

Ginny looked up at him stroking her chin as if this question required deep thought. "I think stars are the shape of the day," she told him after a moment of contemplation.

"That's a tough one, all those points," Harry mentioned as he finished mixing the batter.

"What's wrong Potter?" the redhead asked with a smirk. "Not up to the challenge?"

"Hah!" Harry said throwing his head back haughtily, wielding a wisk that he shook in her direction, "nothing is to much of a challenge for the-man-who-makes-pancakes!"

"Alright pancake man, point that wisk somewhere else before you hurt someone," Ginny laughed as she turned back to her magazine. "So some of the girls from my class and I are going out to lunch today to celebrating finishing our exams and only having one more year before we become full healers, so I probably wont be home before you get back from practice."

It did not escape her how easily she referred to Harry's as home but she had to admit that in the past three weeks she had felt more at home here than she ever did at Mauricio's flat. There she always felt like she was the visitor no matter how long she had lived there. With the stress of finishing up her exams and having to tell her family and her other close friends about the broken engagement she was thankful that at the end of the day she was able to go back to Harry's flat and escape everyone's sympathetic glances and questions on to what happened, where he never mentioned her breakup and treated her like she had always been there. And it did feel like she had lived with Harry forever as they quickly fell into a comfortable routine and she couldn't have hoped for a better situation.

Harry put the plate down in front of her and she poured him his own cup of coffee, adding cream before handing it to him, never looking up from her magazine.

Harry sat down in the seat across from her took a sip of the coffee she made for him not failing to notice that she put just the right amount of cream in it before he dug into his own pancakes. The both ate in silence, Ginny still flipping through her magazine while Harry was deep in thought until seemingly made up his mind about something and spoke.

"Hey Gin, I wanted to ask you something..."

"Oh Bloody Hell!" she exclaimed in response.

"Well never mind then, it was just a question," Harry replied, confused at her vehement response.

"What?" Ginny asked, looking up at him wondering what he was talking about. "Oh no, not you...this!" she explained turning the magazine around to he could read the headline.

IS IT OVER? DID GINNY FLEE IN FEAR OF HER SAFETY?

Underneath the glaring headline was a picture of Ginny walking down the streets of London just outside of St. Mungos with a large blinking red arrow pointing to her ring free left hand and another one pointing to the bruise on her face. After looking at the picture for a moment, Harry's eyes wandered down to the article.

_Can it be true, is the Wizarding worlds most watched couple over? England's favorite redhead, Ginny Weasley 20, has been spotted around London sans engagement ring, instead sporting a rather nasty bruise._

_Sources close to both parties say the last time both were seen together publically was at Ginny's brother and best friend's wedding where they were seen to have an argument, one reliable source reveals that it may have been over Weasley's long time friend and Giona's 24 Quidditch rival, Man-Who-Won Harry Potter 21, whom she was rumored to be involved with during her Hogwarts days._

_Weasley and Giona then dropped off the radar, both notably absent at the Nimbus X release party at which they were both expected to attend and it wasn't until reporters saw Ginny exiting St. Mungos a week after the wedding with what looked to be a week old bruise that gave any indication as to why. _

_Mutual friends of the couple are shocked by allegations that Mauricio may have harmed Ginny and report that there was nothing wrong in their relationship and that they were a picture perfect couple in love, but neighbors of the couple say that they have not seen Ginny for several weeks ever since she and an unidentified dark haired man were seen exiting the building with luggage. Some speculate that this man was Harry Potter and Giona might have beat Weasley in a jealous rage after either falsely accusing or finding out about and affair between the old flames badly enough to put her in St. Mungos. Regardless of what happened it seems the engagement is off. _

_The whereabouts of Miss Weasley are still unknown and Giona declined reporters request to comment._

_See page 42 for a retroactive look at the relationship between Weasley and Giona and Weasley and Potter. _

"Well look on the bright side," Harry said as he flipped to page 42, "at least you are England's favorite redhead."

Ginny was not amused, "Harry, they think we had an affair! All I can say is thank Merlin they don't know I'm living here. They would have a field day with that. And they make it sound like he beat me so bad I was in the hospital for a week! Didn't it occur to anyone that I might have been leaving the hospital because I am a healer-in-training! Like I would really allow myself to be battered like that. I'd like to see someone try! Good Gods! We had to carry out our hole relationship in front of those people, can't we at least break up without those people speculating and reporting lies!"

"Yes," Harry told her as he read the side bar that compared him to Giona, he was pleased to see that he seemed to come out on top in most categories. "You know just as well as I do that the press and tabloids come with the territory when you are involved with somebody famous. I get written about every time I get together with someone and subsequently break up with them most of the time they are wrong about the cause of the break up, you just have to ignore it. Did you know that I got three more NEWTs than Giona and am an inch and a half taller than him?"

"But you go through girlfriends like the rest of us go through chewing gum!" she cried dropping her forehead to the table. "You're used to this, I'm not! And to say that I cheated on him and then he beat me! Come on, that's ridiculous. And I know that you are taller than him and I could have told you how many NEWTs he got if you had asked me."

"And did you know that I capture the Snitch 96 percent of the time while he only captures it 79 percent of the time?" Harry said still reading the sidebar.

"And he prefers Spearament toothpaste while you like Wintergreen, Harry I know both of you. Can we please stay focused on the problem at hand. Like what I'm going to do about this!"

"Also according to a poll Witch Weekly did, 84 percent of readers think that we make a better couple then you and Giona. Ironic since we were never a couple huh?" Harry asked looking for the first time to see that Ginny did not share his opinion.

"Peanut...You're acting like you haven't been dealing with the press for the past four years. You know how to handle this. Owl Giona's publicist and have him release a joint statement from both of you stating that you did not have an affair with me or anyone else nor has he ever laid a hand on you in anger and that while you have jointly decided not to get married that you remain close and devoted friends that continue to care for each other deeply," Harry rambled off the top of his head as if this was old hat, which for him it kind of was.

"Some how I don't think we are going to remain any kind of friendship, let alone a close and devoted one," Ginny said sullenly.

"I know that, if I had it my way he would move back to Italy and none of us would ever have to see or hear of him ever again, but that's the kind of dribble the press will eat up with a spoon and help dispel all the rumors." Harry told her as he reached across the table and lifted her chin with two fingers that she was looking at him. "And then you know what you are going to do next?"

"What?" she asked.

"You are going to come spend the summer with me in Paris to avoid the press completely," he told her matter of factly.

"What are you talking about?" Ginny said confused.

"I was actually going to ask you to come with me anyways. In fact that's what I was about to ask right when you found this article. I'm going to Paris for the summer to be a coach at a Quidditch camp for young and underprivileged Witches and Wizards and I thought you might want to come. And now I think it is the perfect time to get out of not only the city but the country for a while until this all dies down. We would be back before you start your classes back up since I have to be back for Quidditch preseason anyways. And I talked to Ron and Hermione and they said they would be happy to watch Jack for the summer and I already had my hotel room upgraded to a suite so you already have a room. All you need to do is pack," he explained.

Ginny was a little dazed by all of this, "When did you start planning this?"

"Basically when you moved in," he responded.

"And when would we leave?"

"Tomorrow morning."

"HARRY! You have been planning this for weeks but you wait to tell me until the day before we leave! I have so much to do today get ready in time," she gulped down the rest of her coffee quickly took a big bite of star shaped pancake and got up from the table, "I need to pack, write down a list of instructions for Hermione about Jack, go to lunch with the girls and tell them I'll be gone all summer, let my parents know, go shopping for some things I'll need–"

"Don't forget to owl your publicist!" Harry called after her as she walked down the hall.

Ginny hurried back into the kitchen gave Harry a hug from behind from where he sat in his chair and a kiss on the cheek, "Thanks fir reminding me, I'll do that first. And thanks for the trip, I think that this is exactly what I need. And thank you for being here for me through all of this, I feel bad you have to deal with all of this but, I really couldn't ask for a better friend."

"Ginny," Harry replied looking over his shoulder up at her, "in comparison with everything you went through with me for so many years, this is nothing. I remember when I was feeling guilty about putting you through all of my troubles you told me that this is what friends are for and that you had no problem supporting me because you knew that I wouldn't hesitate to return the favor when you went through hard times. This is simply me returning the favor. Although I don't think we will ever be quite even since I've never sat by your bedside for a month while you were in a coma," he joked with a laugh.

Ginny chuckled as well and gave him another kiss on the cheek. "Well I still think you're the best. Now I really have to get started on my day," she told him as she rushed off to write to Mauricio's publicist.

Harry watched her leave the kitchen then turned back to his own unfinished breakfast as he flipped through the magazine with a self-satisfied smile gracing his lips.

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A/N So what did you guys think? I know this is just kind of a transition chapter and not to much happens but I think it is important to the flow and pacing of the chapter of the story...So Harry and Ginny are of to Paris...and I think you are all going to like the next chapter so give me some review love to inspire me to update... 


	28. Confessions

A/N I'm not even going to say anything since I don't want to keep you from reading this chapter any longer than you guys have already been waiting...all I'm going to say is that you are going to like this one...

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"Harry, I'm bored," Ginny whined as she channel surfed. "and I'm sick of French TV, it's too hard to understand when you don't speak the language."

"We have been here a month, you should be picking up some French by now," Harry called from the other side of the suite, his voiced muffled by a closed door.

"Okay lets go over the extent of my French shall we? I can ask if some one if they speak English, count to ten, and ask someone if they enjoy large ducks on Thursdays. Besides, why do you I need to know French when everyone at the Quidditch Camp speaks English and I'm always with you who can translate for me," she yelled back at the door.

"Well you know," Harry shouted back, "if you learned more French you would be able to traverse the city by yourself and you wouldn't be stuck with me all day at Camp. Not that I don't love having you there, you're great teacher, the kids adore you and its great to have someone with MediWitch training, but you know you don't have to volunteer if you don't want to. You have to be getting tired of me by now."

"I'm not sick of you yet Potter. And I actually really enjoy volunteering and like you said its good experience. Now I know how Madame Pomfery felt patching us up all the time. So as long as you're not sick of me, I'll keep following you around and letting you be my translator. I don't know how you know so much French, I'm hopeless when it come to foreign languages. My Italian is terrible too and you would think after spending all those years with Mauricio and his family I would be somewhat fluent," Ginny called as she rolled over on her stomach and propped her elbows up on the couch so that she was now at least facing the still closed door.

"I don't know why languages come easy for me. Although I have vacationed here in France a lot. Phime's family owned a house here and of course Brigetta was French so I started picking it up years ago," he mused.

"Well none of this helps the fact that I'm still bored! And would you come out here already, I'm sick of shouting through the door," she called as she blew bubbles from the tip of her wand.

Harry complied by walking out of their shared bathroom and into the living room of the suite. He had just stepped out of the shower and was wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. "Well," he said using a second towel to dry his hair causing it to stick up in every direction just the way Ginny liked it. "We could actually go out tonight and stop being unsocial hermits," he joked as he popped a couple bubbles that had floated his direction. "Some of the guys were talking about this new wizarding club that is supposed to be the place to go."

"Oh, lets go," Ginny said perking up excitedly, once she ripped her eyes away from Harry's toned torso.

"Alright, lets get ready then."

"Ginny, I'm bored," Harry whined as he channel surfed a few hours later. It had only taken him about twenty minutes to put on his black pinstripe pants, white t-shirt, and black fedora and he had been waiting for Ginny to get ready since.

"I'm ready," Ginny called back through the door. "Let me just grab my purse."

Harry sat up and quickly turned off the TV and watched the door to Ginny's bedroom expectantly as he was anxious to get going since he had owled some of their friends to meet them and he didn't want to be late. However when the door opened all worries about meeting people and lateness were the furthest things from his mind. She was wearing an emerald green satin halter dress that excentuated her curves and made her already small waist look even tinier before flaring away from her hips as the hem floated just above her knees. Her hair which had turned to more of a deep auburn as she got older was up in a simple chignon with a few loose strands curled about her face. She had done her makeup with a smoky eye, rosy cheek and super glossy lip, giving her a sultry look.

"How do I look?" she asked as she spun around in her black stiletto heels.

"Amazing," Harry said once he found his voice, "I don't think I have ever seen you wear that before."

"Yeah, well," she explained with a shrug, "I got it for the Nimbus X release party with Mauricio, which I, as you know, never attended."

"Right," Harry replied uncomfortably. "Well shall we go?" He asked as he offered her his arm.

"We shall," she responded taking the offered arm.

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Harry was leaning against the bar listening to Ginny tell him a story while they worked on their third round of drinks when he saw someone out on the dance floor that made him look twice.

"Oh shit," he muttered when he saw that it was who he thought is was. "Oh shit!" he exclaimed again when he saw who that person was with.

"What?" Ginny asked as she started to turn around to see what Harry was looking at.

Harry grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look at him before she could turn all the way around. "Now Gin, please don't be mad at me, but there is something that I probably should have warned you about before now."

"What?" she asked again warily with a raised eyebrow.

"Well Giona is making a day appearance for the kids at the camp next week and I guess he came to Paris early because he is here," he explained.

"What?"

"And he isn't here alone," Harry continued.

"What!" she exclaimed as she ripped her self from Harry's grasp so that she could find her ex fiancé in the crowd of dancers to find out who he was with. "No..." she said disbelievingly, "he hates her, he told me so the day I met him." Ginny turned back to the bar finished off her drink and quickly ordered another for both her and Harry.

She tried to tell herself that maybe she saw wrong but another glance over he shoulder told her that it was Mauricio that was on the dance floor attached by the mouth to no other than Seraphim Von Bitch herself.

"I'm sorry Gin," Harry said, reaching out and rubbing her arm consolingly.

"You know," Ginny said as she put the now empty glass on the bar. "It's not like I want him back or anything cause I don't. I don't love him, he was the one that was supposedly so in love with me, so why does he get to move on first. And why did it have to be with her! I hate that...that wench!"

"Well I'm afraid that wench just saw me and is heading this way," Harry said as he too finished his drink.

"Oh Merlin," Ginny muttered as her eyes got wide and she started to panic.

"Harold!" Seraphim called as she crossed over to the bar, Mauricio tailing after her. "I haven't seen you in ages how are you darling?"

"Phime, I didn't even know you were here," Harry lied as he grabbed Ginny's arm who was about to flee. "I believe you have met my girlfriend before right?"

At the word girlfriend both Mauricio and Ginny's attention snapped to Harry, who looked completely serious as his arm went protectively around Ginny's shoulders. Ginny knew what he was doing and that he was trying to do her a favor, but she couldn't decide whether it was the best or worst idea he ever had. However there was nothing she could do now so she might as well play along and she leaned into Harry's embrace.

"Of course, Gina right?" Seraphim replied with a smile completely oblivious to how uncomfortable everyone else was.

"Ginny," Mauricio corrected, not taking his eyes off the arm Harry had wrapped around the red head.

"Of course," Seraphim responded. "You look beautiful tonight Gina, Harold is a very lucky man to have you on his arm. My sources must be getting lax, I hadn't heard you two were dating."

"Well we haven't been together long," Harry explained looking down at Ginny fondly. "Isn't that right Peanut?"

"Well I think this is wonderful, you two make a very attractive couple," the Floo heiress said, not giving Ginny a chance to respond, which was probably for the best since she wasn't sure if she was even capable of speech at this point. "Let me buy everyone another round to celebrate the beginnings of new relationships."

"That's the best idea I have heard all night," Ginny said as she signaled the bartender for yet another round.

They all stood around the bar for a while longer while Seraphim carried on a conversation essentially by herself while Harry glared at Mauricio and Mauricio glared at Harry, while Ginny wished she had stayed in the hotel room watching French infomercials.

"Well it's been really great seeing you again," Harry finally said signaling an end to the conversation and everyone's misery. "Shall we go dance my dear?"

Ginny couldn't do anything but nod and follow Harry as he grabbed her hand and led her out onto the dance floor. The DJ put on a slow song which Ginny was grateful for since the alcohol was starting to hit her all at once and she needed her arms around Harry's neck and his arms around her waist to keep her balance and stay standing.

"Well that was awkward," Harry said eventually.

"Oh it was horrible and Phimie was to stupid to notice and shut up," Ginny muttered leaning her forehead on Harry's shoulder.

"She is a few gobstones short of a full set," Harry agreed.

"Well you're the one who dated her," Ginny said, almost accusingly.

"I claim temporary insanity on that one. Perhaps that whole period of my life was just a long term side effect from defeating Voldemort," Harry joked.

Ginny looked up and laughed glancing over Harry shoulder to see Mauricio and Seraphim still standing at the bar, Mauricio was watching them dance intently while Seraphim was scattering kisses up and down his neck.

"Kiss me," she ordered Harry.

"What?" he asked, unsure that he had heard her correctly.

"I said kiss me. You were the one that told Mauricio we're together and he is standing there watching us, so kiss me," she repeated, just drunk enough to think that this was the best course of action.

"Okay," Harry replied, just drunk enough to agree.

As Harry's lips descended onto her own Ginny saw Mauricio finally look away, unable to watch anymore. And as she closed her eyes and kissed Harry back, it was the last that she saw or thought of the Italian Quidditch star for the rest of the night.

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It was close to four in the morning when other guests of the hotel could hear a badly jumbled rendition of Semisonic's "Closing Time" making it's way down the corridor as a sloshed Harry and Ginny made their way back to their suite.

"Harry," Ginny said jiggling the door handle, "I can't open it, something's wrong, the door wont open."

"That's because it's locked and I have the key," Harry replied dangling the key in her face.

"Oh, I knew that," she giggled as she leaned against the door jam for support.

"Silly peanut," he teased as he struggled to unlock the door.

"Ugh, you know I hate it when you call me that."

"I know, that's why I use it. Hah! There I got it open," he said happily as he triumphed over the lock. He opened the door with a sweeping gesture, "After you my dear."

"You know, you, are just as good as a kisser as I remember Potter," Ginny said laughing as she stumbled through the door of their hotel suite.

"What? We never kissed," he looked pensive for a moment, "Oh that's right we did kiss, well more like I kissed you because I thought I was going to die," he said with an inappropriate case of the giggles.

"Well, Mister Harry 'I'm so sexy' Potter, where did you learn to do that with your tongue?" Ginny asked walking up to Harry and putting her arms around his neck.

"Well, Miss Ginny 'I'm a hottie' Weasley, would you like me to show you again?" Harry replied grabbing her hips and pulling her into him, not waiting for an answer before attacking her lips with his own.

He moved across her jaw line and down onto her neck and he could feel her fingernails scratching tantalizingly against his scalp as he sucked gently above her collarbone causing her to moan. This noise seemed to make him suddenly realize what he was doing and he jumped away as if she was burning hot.

"What are we doing? This is crazy!" Harry said, running his hand through his hair.

"I know, we should stop," Ginny agreed.

"Do you want to stop?" he asked.

"No," she replied softly. "Do you?"

"Hell no."

They jumped back together kissing each other with a desperate hunger, their hands roaming wildly up and down each others bodies. Ginny could feel that familiar feeling in her lower stomach and she could feel, well she could feel Harry, and she knew what this was leading to, causing her to have a moment of sanity.

"Wait," she said breaking away from him and backing up a few paces. "I can't do this."

"Sure you can," Harry said taking a step forward, "you were doing just fine."

"No," she insisted taking another step back. "I can't do this with _you_."

Ginny's head suddenly cleared, her prior buzz completely gone as she walked over and sat on the couch as Harry watched her curiously.

"Why?"

"Because if this led to where it was leading to and we woke up in the morning and this had all been an alcohol induced mistake, I wouldn't be able to survive. I wouldn't be able to pretend it never happened and go back to being friends. I could never have you for one night and then see you with your next girl of the month because every time I would look at her and know she was with you, it would kill me more than it already does because I would know exactly what I was missing," she blurted out into her palms.

Harry went and sat next to her on the couch and said quietly, "I didn't know you felt that way. I knew that you had a crush on me when we were in school but always thought that had ended years ago."

Ginny took her face out of her hands and looked directly at Harry, her cinnamon eyes locking on his emerald ones. "You're right Harry. You know that the moment I met you at Kings Cross, when I was ten years old, I developed a silly little crush on the-boy-who-lived. Then the summer after my fourth year you were going through some rough times so I decided to write you a letter and we became friends. That day in the park when you told me about the prophecy I got completely over that crush." Ginny saw an indiscernible flicker in his eyes but continued speaking. "You see, I no longer had a crush on the-boy-who-lived, because that day, I fell in love with the real Harry Potter."

Harry looked at Ginny with an intensity that made her feel like he was looking directly into her soul. She was dying for him to say something and was going to tell him so, but then he stood up, grabbed his wand and Disapparated. The sound of the pop as he disappeared was simultaneous with the sound of Ginny's heart breaking. She flung herself across the couch and began sobbing in despair.

_I pour my heart out to him and he runs away,_ she thought. _Gods, he must really hate me if he can't even stick around to reject me! What am I going to do? I can never face him again, not with him knowing how I really feel. I've ruined everything, I have destroyed years of friendship in two minutes because I can't keep my mouth shut._

Ginny was so distraught that she didn't even notice when Harry had Apparated back into the room until he kneeled on the floor beside her and put a tentative hand on her shoulder causing her to jump in surprise.

"Ginny…" he whispered.

"What?" she asked, tears still streaming down her face. "You don't have to say it, I get it, you can just leave again. On second thought, you stay, I'll go." She stood and started making her way towards the door.

"No Ginny, don't go." He jumped up and caught her by the arm, forcing her to turn around. "I'm sorry I just left without saying anything, but I had to go home and get something to give you. Technically it's already yours, but I wanted to give it back to you." He pulled out a well worn letter and handed it to the upset redhead.

She stared at the letter for a moment in confusion until her eyes widened with sudden recognition, "This is the letter that you--"

"That is the letter I wrote to you the night before the last battle, the one you refused to read five years ago. You don't know how many times I intended to give you back that letter, how many times I took it out the drawer and just stared at it for hours. But I think now is the correct time."

Ginny opened the letter with trembling hands and began to read.

_Dearest Ginny-_

_The realization that as you read this I might never see you again makes me recognize that I have to tell you the truth. I have to confess my true feelings for you. Ginny, I love you. I don't know how or when it happened but all I know is that I love you with every fiber of my being and I have for a while now. _

_Over the past year, you have become one of the best things in my life. You are my best friend, my most trusted confidant, my partner in crime. You are the first one I want to tell my good news to and the first I seek out when I need comfort. You are the first person I want to talk to in the morning and the last thing I think about before I go to sleep at night and where ever you are all day is where I want to be. _

_Every time I see you with Dean a little part of me dies and you have no idea how much I envy him. You have no idea how much I want to be the one who gets to put an arm around your slender waist and kiss the top of you fiery head. I know that you are still with Dean and that you may not reciprocate any of my feelings but I can't die without you knowing how I really feel. This may seem like the cowards way out, but it was the only way I can think of to express my feelings._

_If I don't come back tomorrow, I just want you to know that I love you more than I have ever loved anything on this earth and I am doing this for you. It is my love for you that gives me the strength to face what I must and it is my love for you that makes me want to create a better future for you. It is my only hope that it is a future that I am a part of and a future that I might be able to share with you._

_Whether or not you feel this way about me, if I don't survive I don't want you to linger on my death or carry any guilt. I want you to be happy and live your life for the both of us because that is why I'm doing this, so that you can be happy, because your happiness means the world to me, so please be happy. Please take advantage of everything life has to offer and enjoy every day. Continue to be the wonderful, caring, funny, self confident, and amazing person I have had the privilege to know. _

_Ginevra Molly Weasley I love you! I hope that one day I will be able to tell you this in person and perhaps hear it in return._

_Now and Forever,_

_Harry_

Ginny was crying again, but this time not out of despair, but out of joy. She was going to say something but Harry quieted her by placing a finger against her lips. He gently wiped away her tears and softly kissed both of her eyelids before moving down to her already swollen lips. But this time the kisses were not hungry or desperate, but gentle and loving, taking great care to savor every moment. After some time they broke apart and he was simply holding her in his arms her head resting on his shoulder, neither of them wanting to ever be anywhere else.

"Ginevra Molly Weasley I love you," Harry said softly, his hope from so many years ago becoming a reality.

"You want to know the real reason that Maurizio and I broke up?" Ginny asked after a moment.

Harry was a little surprised by this as this wasn't the response he was hoping for or expecting, but nodded his head.

"He always knew that I was in love with you. I always denied it, even to myself, but the final straw was when I moaned your name instead of his," she said with a laugh.

Harry leaned in close so he could whisper into her ear, "I can make you scream it."

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Ginny woke up the next morning as the light streamed in through the nearby window. She smiled to herself as the previous nights events came flooding back to her and she rolled over and extended her arm, looking for the warm body she had fallen asleep next to. Her eyes snapped open and she started to panic when she found only cold sheets.

_Where did he go_ she thought to herself. _Oh gods, I hope he didn't think last night was a mistake or something. But he told me he loved me, he showed me the letter, he wouldn't run out on me…. What if this was to much for him, I mean it's no secret that he has never had a serious long term relationship in his life, and he's definitely afraid of commitment. Maybe this all went to fast for him I mean professing our love for each other is a really big step… Maybe I should go look for him or something…_Ginny was about to get up when the door opened. Harry stopped whistling and broke into a big smile when he saw that Ginny was awake.

"Well good morning sunshine, I thought you were going to sleep the whole morning away. I went downstairs to get us some breakfast," he said holding up two coffees and a bag of donuts. He handed her the coffee cup first, "A triple shot caramel macchiato with soy milk and extra foam and," he said opening the bag, "a cinnamon roll and a raspberry filled glazed donut."

Ginny's jaw dropped a little in surprise, "That's exactly my order. How did you know?"

"Did you not hear the part where I have been in love with you since I was sixteen? Plus you are my best friend, I should know your order by now."

Ginny didn't say anything but hid her huge smile behind her coffee cup as she felt the warm liquid slide down her throat warming her almost as much as having Harry come settle in next to her on the bed as he too starting eating his breakfast.

"So, what are our plans for the rest of the day?" Ginny asked him as they were both finishing up.

"I don't know, I thought we could just kinda hang out, maybe go on a picnic or a walk by the Riviera or maybe a picnic and a walk by the Riviera or maybe the walk first then the picnic..."

Ginny watched Harry closely as he rambled happily and noticed that there was a certain spark in his eyes that never seemed present before. Her heart swelled with joy when she realized that the spark was love and love for her. Suddenly she didn't care what they did that day as long as she did it with him.

Harry stopped speaking when he noticed that she looking at him so intently. He turned to her and searched her eyes and face and silently rejoiced as he saw the true love and adoration and even a bit of poorly hidden lust in her eyes and countenance.

"But Ginny, I will take you wherever you want and give you everything that you ever desire if you will only promise me one thing."

"And what's that?" Ginny asked.

He lifted his hand and gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before letting his hand rest on her porcelain cheek.

"Never stop looking at me like that," he told her before covering her mouth with his own.

* * *

A/N So do you love me? do you do you do you? It has finally happened, our favorite couple is finally that, A COUPLE! And the letter you have all been dying to read has finally appeared...I wrote this chapter months ago and I wrote the letter back when I wrote chapter eleven so it was killing me to keep it all to myself...so I dedicate this chapter to everyone who has been reading this story from the begining and have been so patiently (and sometimes impatiently waiting) for the two of them to get a clue and get together...but now that I have finally put it out into the world, tell me what you think! 


	29. Conversations

A/N So I was planning to take a break on this story and work on my other stuff, but as with all the best laid plans of mine, my muse refused to cooperate and this is what came out instead...but I'm sure none of mind...do you?

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"Wake up," Harry murmured into Ginny's ear.

"Mmph," was the only response she gave as she pulled the coverlet tighter around her shoulders.

"Come on Gin, it's time to get up," he repeated, shaking her shoulder gently.

"No," she moaned burying her face deeper into the pillow.

Harry couldn't help but laugh silently to himself. When they were younger it was Ginny who was the morning person and he would easily sleep till noon if he was allowed, but somewhere along the line they had definitely switched roles. He had discovered this when she had moved in with him after her breakup, and he always had a hard time getting the redhead up in the morning on "work" days, but it was even more noticeable ever since they become a couple and started sharing a bed.

They had long since worked out a routine where he would get up first, letting her sleep a bit longer, make breakfast for himself, eat, then make Ginny's meal, wake her up, then take a shower while she ate and got ready, since she preferred to take her showers at night. So far the schedule had worked nicely and also gave the couple a bit of alone time in the mornings since they spent most of the day together anyways. It also kept him out of Ginny's path before she had her morning coffee which was good for his own self-preservation.

"I'm giving you till the count of three to get up before I get you up. One, two, three..." he paused and watched her to see if she was making to get up, she wasn't. "Alright but don't say I didn't warn you."

Ginny's whole body seemed to leap several feet off of the bed and into the air as Harry threw back the bottom of the comforter and grabbed her bare feet with his very cold hands.

"Ahhh," she exclaimed as she snatched the bed spread and her feet back from Harry's grasp all without opening her eyes. "I hate you!" she half cried/half whined as she reburied herself and curled into a ball so that she was no more than a large lump underneath the down comforter.

"I hate you too," he replied affectionately. "Now seriously, you need to get up so we're not late," he told her patting the lump encouragingly before moving towards the bathroom. "I left your breakfast on the table so you better eat it while its still warm cause it never tastes the same if you have to reheat it."

"I love you," she called, right before as he was about to close the door behind him.

Harry turned around to see her head just barely poking out from beneath the mountain of blankets, her flushed cheeks and tired eyes framed by a tangled mess of auburn hair in stark contrast with the white bedding. He watched as one of her small hands emerged and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Even after six days, he couldn't believe that she was really talking to him when she said that and at the same time he couldn't believe it had only been less than a week that they had been together.

"I love you too."

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Ginny, have you seen my navy blue jumper? You know, the one with the Snitch on the front," Harry called as he rummaged through his closet after his shower. "Gin, can you not hear me or are you ignoring me? Gin?"

He walked into the living room of their Parisian suite, what he saw quickly answered both of his questions. He wasn't surprised to see that the reason that he couldn't find his hoodie was because his lovely girlfriend had already stolen and was currently it, as she was so apt to do. But he was more surprised to see why it was she hadn't heard him calling her.

"Are you meditating?" he asked incredulously from the doorway.

"Don't sound so shocked," Ginny said as she opened one eye to see the disbelieving look on Harry's face before closing it and shifting her sitting position on the pillow she was perched upon. "You're the one that taught me to do it."

"Yeah, but you were kicking and screaming the whole way," he countered. "I don't even meditate anymore and I was the one that liked doing it. I never thought that you would do it except when I made you, let alone on your own years later."

"Well, maybe it grew on me, and maybe you should take it back up," she challenged. "Besides I don't do it all the time, just when I'm anxious about something. And in case you didn't realize, it's Friday."

"Oh," Harry said, knowing that she was nervous about seeing Mauricio at Quidditch Camp for the whole day, "you know, you don't have to come with me today if you don't want to," he told her sitting behind her on the couch so that he could rub her shoulders.

"I know, but I want to make sure you two don't kill each other," she responded, abandoning her meditation and scooting back to make it more comfortable for Harry to reach her. "Besides, I can't avoid him forever. You two run in the same Quidditch circles, we're bound to run into him at some point, I might as well get used to it and just make the best of it."

"You know what they say," Harry said as he stood and gave Ginny a hand up as well, "When life gives you lemons–"

"Throw them back and tell them to make their own damn lemonade?" she interrupted.

"No, make apple juice and let the world wonder how you did it," he replied. "Now come on, we should get going if we don't want to be late."

"But you're going to have to bring a different jumper because I'm not giving this one up," she informed him matter of factly.

"So you were ignoring me," he accused.

Ginny just flashed him a dazzling smile and gave him a kiss that he was glad to exchange the jumper for.

"I guess I don't really need to bring one," he said with a goofy grin, "It is July after all."

Ginny just giggled and wrapped her arms around his waist as he Apparated both of them away.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

What had started out as rather overcast and generally chilly morning in which Ginny had been thankful for Harry's jumper, quickly progressed into a scorching afternoon. And with heat and a large group of athletic and energetic children came several cases of heat exhaustion in addition to the normal bumps and bruises, meaning that Ginny had her hands full in the infirmary, since their official nurse had called in sick that day. Which also meant that she hadn't been on the pitch all day which in turn meant that she had successfully avoided Mauricio, which for all that she had said to Harry earlier that morning, she was grateful for.

"Now drink this water slowly, okay Jeremy," she said handing a plastic cup to a small, sunburnt, blonde boy. "And next time you feel yourself overheating like that sit in the shade and get some water _before_ you get sick. And let me get you something for that sunburn."

She was so occupied digging through one of her cupboards looking for the bottle of burn aloe that she didn't hear anyone else come in.

"I brought you one more victim," announced a distinctive Italian accent.

Ginny jumped at her ex-fiancé's voice knocking the back of her head on the cabinet door as she whipped around. She stood frozen for a moment before her eyes drifted away from Mauricio and onto the tall gangly boy that the professional Quidditch player was supporting since he had a distinctly dazed look in eye and didn't look to steady on his feet in addition to numerous cuts and scrapes.

"What happened to you?" Ginny asked ignoring her own discomfort in being in this close quarters with her ex as she switched into Healer mode.

"A failed Wronski Feint I'm afraid," Mauricio explained, with a sympathetic smile at the youth. "He didn't pull up in time."

"What's your name?" Ginny asked the boy as she performed a quick diagnostic spell.

"Logan Caldwell," he replied watching her work with slightly unfocused eyes, "What happened?"

"Well Logan - here drink this, it will clear your head- " she said as she handed him a potion, "it seems that you got into a fight with the ground and unfortunately for you, the ground won and it looks like you're going to have a pretty good black eye to show for it too."

As he drank the potion his eyes cleared but his cheeks reddened as he realized what happened. "Well that's embarrassing," he muttered not looking her in the eyes.

"Don't worry about it," Mauricio reassured him. "It can happen to the best of us."

Ginny jumped slightly when he spoke, not realizing just how close he was standing.

"Yeah, consider it a warrior wound," Ginny agreed as she patched him up. "I just recently lost a battle with the edge of a bathtub and had a bruise on the side of my face the size of a Hungarian Horntail, imagine how embarrassing that was. At least you got yours playing Quidditch, that's a much cooler story."

Ginny was happy to see that Logan laughed and was looking less self conscious as was her intention, but also couldn't help but notice that Mauricio winced when she mentioned her accident.

"So you can either lie down in here for awhile or if you're feeling better you can go back outside to the pitch, but I want you to stay off a broom for the rest of the day and the weekend too. Okay?"

Ginny waited for a nod of understanding before leaving the infirmary and moving into the small adjacent office, sitting down heavily behind the desk and rubbing her temples.

"So how are you?" Mauricio asked from the door way.

"I have a headache," Ginny said shortly, not looking at him.

"Could it be from that from the battle you lost with the cupboard door a few moments ago?" he joked.

Ginny shot him a withering look. "Shouldn't you be outside with the kids?"

"It's the end of the day, they're packing up to go home, besides I wanted to talk to you," he explained.

Ginny glanced at her watch, it had been such a busy day that she had had no idea that it was already so late.

"I'm not with her you know," he said after standing there silently for a moment before realizing Ginny wasn't going to say anything.

"With who?" she asked.

"Seraphim," he clarified. "I'm not with her really. She found out I was in Paris and just invited me to go with her to the club for the evening. We're not _together _if you were wondering."

"I was curious," Ginny admitted, "since I knew that at one time you claimed to not be able to stand her. But it's really none of my business anymore who you associate with."

"Well, I just thought I'd let you know."

"Is this what you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Actually, I wanted to apologize," he told her as he sat down in the chair on the other side of the desk.

"I already told you it wasn't your fault, I caught my heel and tripped. It was an accident it happens," Ginny assured him as she started to shuffle through papers.

"Well I'm sorry about that too, but that's not actually what I was going to apologize for." Ginny looked at him in confusion so he continued. "When you came to pick up your stuff from our...my flat, I said some things that I had no business saying and that I regret immensely and for that I'm sorry."

Ginny looked into Mauricio's eyes looking for some sort of deception or hidden agenda for this apology but saw only honestly sincerity.

"I want you to know that I never, ever cheated on you, not with Harry or anyone else. When I went to him after the break up it was as nothing more as a friend, so if his presence there hurt you, then I'm sorry too. I don't know if this will help any, but we've actually only been a couple for about a week," she told him, not feeling the need to tell him that it was after she has seen him that they had gotten together.

He gave her a lopsided smile. "It may lessen the sting a little," he confessed with a chuckle. "I don't think it could happen now for either of us, but I'd like it if one day we could be friends again," he said turning serious.

"I'd like that too," Ginny replied honestly as Mauricio stood to leave.

"I'm going home tonight so I guess this is goodbye," he said extending his hand.

"Goodbye Mauricio," she said taking his hand.

"Goodbye Ginny Weasley, I wish you all the happiness in the world."

"And the same to you."

They were standing there, hand in hand, in a moment in a comfortable silence when someone else entered the infirmary.

"Ginny? Oh love of my life, where are you?" Harry called jovially as he walked towards the office. "Are you hungry? Cause I'm famished and I was wondering if you wanted to stop at that little deli that's down the street from the hotel because I don't feel like cooking tonig–" Harry stopped speaking when he reached the doorway and saw that Ginny wasn't alone. "Am I interrupting something?"

Ginny felt Mauricio's hand tighten around hers as he tensed up and she was worried that Harry's presence might destroy the fragile truce they had established.

"Of course not," Mauricio replied dropping Ginny's hand, "I was just leaving. Ginny...Potter," he said inclining his head to both as he spoke.

"What did he want?" Harry asked watching the door Giona had just passed through suspiciously.

"Closure, I think," Ginny responded honestly.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Later that night Harry was lying in bed reading while he waited for Ginny who was soaking in the bath.

"Come here," he ordered sternly, putting down his book as she walked into the bedroom.

"What?" she asked in confusion as she crossed over to his side of the bed.

"Tsk tsk tsk," he said as he grabbed her hand and looked at her fingertips. "Just as I suspected, little raisins. I suppose your toes are just as bad."

Ginny bit her bottom lip and looked chagrined. "I'm afraid so," she admitted.

"And you have absconded with my bath robe," he observed, tugging on the belt that was tied around her waist.

"And that I'm not sorry for," she replied obstinately, lifting her chin.

"Well we can't have that," Harry told her, dropping his stern facade with a smile. "I'll just have to make you sorry."

"And how do you expect to do that?" Ginny asked with a laugh.

Harry grabbed Ginny's waist pulling her over him and onto the bed then rolling on top of her so that she was effectively pinned to the bed.

"Say you're sorry," he said with a grin.

"No."

He leaned down and kissed her.

"Say you're sorry," he repeated.

"Never."

He kissed her again, this time deeper.

"Surrender," he whispered against her lips.

"Gladly," she answered, this time she was the one pulling Harry down to meet her lips.

"You can keep the robe," he said when he pulled away for air.

"I thought as much," Ginny said with a devious grin as she pulled of his glasses and tossed them on the night stand.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The next morning, it was Harry who, unsurprisingly, woke up first and carefully extracted his right arm from beneath the sleeping form of his girlfriend. He watched with a smile as she pulled the covers around her tighter to compensate for the lack of his heat before kissing her softly on her forehead the tiptoeing out of the room, even though he knew that a herd of hippogriffs rampaging down the hall probably wouldn't wake her. After a quick shower and an even quicker call to the concierge and trip downstairs to the in house florist, he walked back into their room to wake Ginny up.

He sat on the edge of the bed moving her hair back away from her face and bent down to place a few feather light kisses along the base of her neck.

"Mmm, I like that," she murmured.

Harry chuckled softly as he sat up. "It's time to wake up," he told her.

"I don't like that," she groaned making Harry laugh. "Besides, it's too bloody early to be waking up, the suns not even up yet."

"How would you know," Harry asked with a smile. "You haven't even opened your eyes yet."

"I can tell that it's dark in here," she replied snootily.

"That's because I haven't opened the blackout shades yet," he retorted in the same tone.

Harry concentrated on the drapery in question and used his wandless magic to push them open, letting the morning sun flood the room causing Ginny to groan and cover her eyes with her arm.

"All I know, is that only you could be this chipper this early in the morning," she grumbled. "I don't understand how you can be a morning person."

"It's 9:15 babe, not that early."

"It is on Saturdays," she replied, still stubbornly refusing to open her eyes.

"Well," Harry finally said knowing just how to get to her, "if you don't want to get up I suppose I'll just have to find someone else to give this to."

Not being able to resist a mystery or a surprise, her eyes immediately snapped open to find that Harry was holding a single, but enormous sunflower.

"Oh Harry, it's beautiful," she exclaimed as she took it from him. "But what's the occasion?"

"Don't you know what today is?" he asked.

"Uh, Saturday?" she replied.

"Yes, but what does that mean?"

"That it is the day after Friday, but before Sunday," she answered having no idea what he was getting at.

"No, it means that it is our one week anniversary," he said with a self satisfied smile.

Ginny couldn't help but smile at how clearly proud he was of himself. "Is it unusual for your relationships to last this long?" she asked teasingly.

"Well if you're going to be like that," he told her in mock offence, "then I guess I wont give you the other thing I have for you."

Ginny's eyes widened excitedly and flashed a wide innocent smile, "I promise I'll be good."

"Hmm," he said looking at her speculatively, "I don't know if I believe you."

"Pleeease?" she asked batting her eyelashes in an absurdly over exaggerated display of coquettishness.

"Alright," he conceded. "How could I say no to that face," he joked pulling out a velvet box and handing it to her.

"Oh Harry," she said opening the box, "you shouldn't have."

"Well if you don't like it, I can always take it back," she told her reaching out for the box.

"No!" she exclaimed pulling it out of his reach. "I love it, you just didn't have to do this."

"I wanted to do it," he reassured her. "I would have gotten you a big diamond ring, but I figured I would start small and give myself something to work up too," he joked.

"It's perfect, I love it," she told leaning forward to give him a sweet kiss. "Put it on me?"

Harry did as she requested and watched happily as she examined the bracelet now that it was on. It was a white gold linked chain with a heart charm with i Forever /I engraved on the front.

"So I thought we might go to the bakery on the corner for breakfast. What do you think?" he asked after a moment.

"Actually, I'm not that hungry yet. I thought I might stay in bed a bit longer this morning. You're free to join me of course," she said with a suggestively raised eyebrow.

No one ever called Harry Potter a stupid man and they weren't about to start now. After all, he could wait a bit longer for breakfast.

* * *

A/N So what did you all think? A little bit of plot and a whole lot of fluff and a day in the life of our favorite couple...and for all you Mauricio haters out there (and I know there are at least a couple of you out there) this is the last we will see of him for a while...this was not at all the chapter that I had planned when I started writing it but I'm happy with the way it turned out, but that also means that all the things I had planned for this chapter will have to happen in the next one which means that we're going to have one more chapter in France before they head back home to England and for the first time I'm going to take requests...is there anything that you guys really want them to do while they're still in Paris? 


	30. Moments

A/N Here we are again at another opening authors note...I can't believe that this is chapter 30! Can you believe that when I first started this story I thought that everyone would think that this story would be complete rubbish since this is my first thing I ever wrote and that I would get bored of the whole fanfiction thing and quit after a month or two...and now here I am over a year later far from bored...so thank you guys for keeping me from boredom...Also I need to give a big thank you to my awesome new beta PeskyPetunia I'm excited to have a beta again and I'm sure you all are too...

August twelfth dawned as a mild summer morning, but Harry Potter didn't see it as he was still fast asleep having overindulged in a bit too much firewhiskey the night before at the surprise birthday party everyone at the camp had thrown for Ginny the night before.

At least he i _was_ /i asleep, that is until he was woken up by a sudden weight on his chest. He opened one eye slowly, testing the brightness of the room, and when he saw that the curtains were still blessedly closed, he warily opened his other eye to find a red head straddled across his stomach and starring down at him expectantly.

"I never thought I would see the day where I would wake up before you," Ginny said with a smile.

"And why are you up so early?" Harry asked softly as his own voice was sounding abnormally loud in his own head.

"It's almost ten-thirty," she informed him. "Not exactly what I would call early."

"It is on Saturdays," he muttered, using her own words back to her as he closed his eyes again.

"Especially if you're hungover," Ginny countered as she climbed off of him so that she could grab the potions that she had set on the night stand earlier. "I figured you would feel like you were hit by the Knight Bus this morning, so I took pity on you and made these before I woke you up."

"What happened last night, why in the bloody hell did I let myself drink that much?" he asked as Ginny helped him sit upright with the efficiency of a Healer.

"Well as it so happened, you decided to play a very unfair game of 'I have never' with a group of people who were bound and determined to get you absolutely pissed." she explained with only the very smallest hint of amusement. "Here, take this one first, it's for the nausea."

Harry took the bottle obediently, only shuddering slightly as he swallowed the concoction. "If I wasn't already nauseous, the taste of that potion would change that."

"Wait until you taste this one," she said handing him a second vile. "It's for your headache. There is a reason I gave you the nausea one first." She watched him take it and only laughed a little bit at the faces he made, before instructing him to lie back down until the potions took effect. "I don't know why you didn't stop playing when you saw which way the game was going. I mean the questions were more than a little biased. For example, 'I have never defeated one of the most evil wizards of all time,' and 'I have never survived a killing curse,' or 'I have broken the record for catching the snitch in the most consecutive games.' I think that you might have finished off that whole bottle by yourself. Feeling better yet?"

Harry tentatively opened his eyes again once more. "Actually I am," he told her sitting up and swinging his feet off the bed. "Thank you Peanut, you're very handy to have around. I think I might keep you."

"Oh well thank you Monsieur," she replied sarcastically. "That's so very generous of you."

"Yezz," Harry joked in an exaggerated french accent, "my generouzity ez well known en all ze world. Zat ez 'ow I gets ze ladiez."

Ginny was going to respond with a smart comeback, but decided just to laugh instead. "Come on then Don Juan, go take a shower, we have plans for today," she joked as she stepped into the walk in closet.

"But Don Juan was from Espana," Harry called with Spanish accent.

"Fine the Casanova," she replied.

"Italia," he responded changing his accent once more as he walked to the bathroom.

"Would you just get in the shower, before you become a great lover to no one!"

"Fine, fine," Harry laughed, "whatever the lady requests."

While Harry showered, Ginny got ready. Turning on the wireless and peeling off her pajamas she stood in front of the closet in her underwear as she tried to decide what to wear. She had just decided on a white eyelet skirt, pale green camisole with her three quarter length sleeved white jacket and wedges when the new Amber Hess single, 'Pretend To Be Nice,' started playing. She may have been one of Harry's numerous ex's, but Ginny couldn't hate her because she could not deny the fact that the girl had talent.

"I love this song!" Ginny exclaimed to herself as the guitar kicked in and she pulled her clothes off of their respective hangers.

Harry walked into the bedroom just in time to watch Ginny launch into in the chorus as she danced around the room in her underwear with her skirt in one hand and a shoe in the other.

_Why do you do what you do to me baby  
__You're shaking my confidence, driving my crazy  
__You know if I could I'd do anything for you  
__Please don't ignore me cause you know I adore you_

He had to hold in his laughter as she dropped the shoes on the bed, slipped on the skirt and picked up a hairbrush which she promptly started singing into.

_Can't you just pretend to be nice  
__Could you at least pretend to be nice  
__You could just pretend to be nice  
__Then everything in my life would be alright_

She started dancing around like crazy during the bridge, spinning around in circles, her white skit billowing around her and her long red hair flowing behind her, shining in the mid morning sun that was pouring through the bed room window. The song was just kicking into the next verse when Ginny turned around and saw–

"AHHH!"

Harry burst out laughing as Ginny clutched one hand to her chest, covering her racing heart.

"Don't stop on my account," Harry told her laughingly, "I was enjoying the show."

"How long were you standing there?" she asked in angry embarrassment as she put on her shirt.

"Long enough," he replied vaguely. "I didn't know you were such a fan of Amber's," he teased her wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. "You know, we broke up on fairly good terms, I could probably get you tickets to her show."

"Oh hush," she admonished with a glare as she plopped down at the vanity so that she could do her makeup as her heart rate returned to normal from both dancing around and being startled by Harry. "I can give you back that hangover just as quickly as I took it away," she threatened.

Harry crossed over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders, silent for a moment as he watched her apply her makeup. "You know," he said thoughtfully, "you're really going to have to do that little dance in your underwear for me again."

Ginny turned to give him a firm smack on the shoulder which only made Harry start laughing again before turning back around in a huff, but as she made eye contact with him in the mirror she too started cracking up at herself.

Closing her compact with a snap she stood up. "Can we go now?" she asked impatiently, but with amusement clear in her eyes.

"Of course my dear," he replied offering his arm.

Having gotten a late start on the day, the couple chose to forgo breakfast and lunch in lieu of brunch at one of their favorite bistros. Afterwards they took the underground to their first stop of the day, the Louvre.

"For some reason I expected it to be much larger," Harry mentioned as he stood in front of the Mona Lisa. "Considering how widely distributed and how well known it is, seeing it in person is almost a little..."

"Anti-climactic?" Ginny supplied.

"Yeah," he agreed with her word choice.

"Well you know," Ginny explained, "the reason it's so small is because it was essentially Da Vinci's business card. He needed something that was small enough to carry around that he could show people what he could do."

"That makes sense," Harry replied cocking his head to the side as he continued to look at the painting. "I wonder who she is and why she doesn't have any eyebrows."

Ginny snorted a little as she stifled a laugh, "Well she doesn't have any eyebrows because an art restorer a couple centuries ago used the wrong solvent to clean the painting and accidently wiped them off."

"Why did just her eyebrows come off?" he asked.

"I'm not positive," she replied, "but I think it had something to do with the fact that during that period in time the eyebrows were always painted last on a portrait."

"I would hate to be the poor bloke who had to explain that to my boss," Harry chuckled.

"Oh I know," Ginny agreed. "But as far as her identity no one knows for sure. Of course there are theories, like there are some people that believe that Da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa as a self portrait of himself as a woman."

"Really?" Harry asked, looking at the painting with new eyes.

"Really really," she confirmed.

"How did you learn all of this?" he asked, genuinely curious after he had chewed on this new information she gave him for a minute.

"We devoted a whole term in Muggle Studies to Muggle art and architecture and I found it especially interesting so I did extra research on it. And then when Hermione found out about my interest and told me some stuff and gave me some really great books. That's actually why I wanted to come here so badly today," she explained.

"Why didn't you tell me? We could have come here sooner," he told her.

"I know," she replied. "But were here now so it doesn't matter. Come on, let's keep going," she said taking his hand and leading him down the corridor.

They spent the rest of the day walking through the halls of the museum stopping to look at countless priceless works of art with Ginny repeating random facts that she knew about them to Harry. It wasn't until late afternoon that Harry mentioned that they needed to leave if they were going to have enough time to get back to the hotel in time to change for their evening plans.

"Oh I could spend days wandering aimlessly through that place," Ginny mentioned wistfully as they strolled down the streets of Paris hand in hand as they made their way back to their hotel, "just drinking in all that art and history and still not get enough."

"You would think you would have had enough of paintings after living at Hogwarts for seven years," Harry teased.

"It's different," she replied. "I wouldn't call the portraits at Hogwarts art per se, they are fascinating in their own right, especially if you're not used to them, but they have personalities and interact with you on a daily basis. Muggle art is exactly that, art. It's a moment in time and history, there is a piece of the artist left within the canvas, there is emotion and expression in those brush strokes. You can look at Van Gogh's Starry Night or Degas's Ballerinas or a Monet or even a Childe Hansen for hours and still get more out of it," she explained with a passion that surprised Harry a little.

"Well we will have to be sure to come back before we go home then," Harry said as he slipped his hand into the back pocket of her jeans.

"Promise?" she asked, sliding her arm around his waist and looking up at him.

"Promise," he assured, smiling down at her. "So, what did you think of that monstrosity of glass and metal engineering they planted in front of the museum?"

"You mean the pyramid?" she asked.

"What else could I be referring too?" he replied with a grin.

"I think it's a beautiful structure," she responded sincerely.

"Really?" Harry said, honestly surprised.

"Yeah, just somewhere else," she clarified. "In of itself I think the pyramid is architecturally interesting and would look wonderful in a different location. However, while I understand what they were trying to accomplish with the juxtaposition of the modern structure against the historical backdrop of this part of the city, I don't care for it."

"That's a diplomatic way of putting it," he observed with a grin.

"Well," Ginny replied drawing out the word and bringing a hand to her chest in an affected manner, "diplomacy is one of my many talents."

"Since when?" Harry retorted incredulously. "In my experience you're more of the hit someone upside the head with your opinion kind of person."

"I'll hit you upside the head with something!" Ginny exclaimed indignantly as she playfully swatted at her boyfriend which he easily side stepped.

"What would you say to a gelato?" he asked quickly to placate the redhead.

"Two scoops please," she replied with a wide smile.

"Wait right here, I'll be right back."

Ginny sat on a nearby bench people watching while Harry stepped into the café to get their ice cream.

"Here you go Peanut," Harry said handing her the cup as he sat down beside her, "two scoops of your favorite pomegranate gelato."

Ginny let out a little giggle as she took a bite of the tart yet sweet concoction.

"What's so funny?" Harry asked.

"Oh, I was just remembering the first time you called me Peanut," she explained.

"That was such a long time ago," he replied looking back himself as he started on his mint and chip gelato. "It was on our very first birthday excursion and we had run into that girl that I knew from primary school and you pretended to be my girlfriend and I couldn't think of anything to call you so I froze and called you Peanut," he reminisced chuckling at the memory. "It only took, what...five years for that to come true?"

"Six," she corrected, "the first time we did this was the summer before my fifth year, your sixth, so that means it was my fifteenth birthday and since I'm turning twenty one, that would make it six years ago. There are so many moments from that day that I will never forget, 'peanut' is just one of them," Ginny mused.

"Like you learning to use a soda machine by spraying that little kid in the face," Harry added with a laugh.

"You having to lie to me to even get me to agree to go and then having to sneak me out of the house since I was already in so much trouble with Mum for sneaking out to see you earlier that summer."

"And then you nearly killing me when you found out I hadn't told you the whole truth."

"Me having my very first macchiatto."

"Yes, your _true_ love," he said joking about her obsession for the coffee.

"Don't worry hon, you're a close second," Ginny teased back.

"That's comforting," he replied sarcastically as he silently offered her a bite of his gelato.

"Mmm!" Ginny exclaimed as she remembered something as she tasted his ice-cream, "don't forget how you accidently walked in on me in my underwear and you were so embarrassed you couldn't face me."

Harry laughed along with her at this particular memory. "Now I do it on purpose," he said wagging his eyebrows at her suggestively, to which she simply rolled her eyes. "Merlin we're getting old," Harry mentioned after pausing and reflecting for a moment. "On one hand I can't believe it was such a long time ago but on the other hand I can barely believe that it was this same life time."

"I know," Ginny agreed. "Everything was so different then. Voldemort was still at large..."

"We had only been real friends for a couple months," Harry mentioned as if barely believing that such a time where they weren't best friends actually existed.

"I was still dating Dean," the redhead added with slight disgust.

"Ron and Hermione had just gotten together," he smirked, remembering how the newlyweds had first come together as a couple.

"You hadn't even started training for the final battle yet," she pointed out.

"I learned so much that year," Harry mentioned as he looked back to when he was sixteen. "I don't even know if I could do half of the things now that I was able to do at the end of sixth year."

"What the magic or the physical combat stuff we did?" she asked.

"Both actually," he replied honestly. "I should start training again before I completely forget everything I learned back then. I mean I worked so hard to learn it the first time it would be a shame to let it go to waste."

"I'll train with you if you'd like," she offered.

"I would like that," he replied giving her a peck before taking her now empty cup to throw away. "You always were my favorite sparring partner."

"Besides," Ginny added with a grin, "I think it would be healthy for our relationship to be able to beat each other up once in awhile."

Harry laughed aloud at that as he extended his hand to help her stand, "I couldn't agree more. But now we should be going if we're going to make our reservations, especially since I know how long it takes you to get ready."

Ginny shot him a glare but didn't say anything as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and they continued to walk down the street.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Harry, I don't know what to wear if I don't know where we are going," Ginny sighed as she stood in front of her closet in a bathrobe.

"Wear that green silky dress you wore to the club a few weeks ago," he called from inside the bathroom where he was getting ready. "That dress holds fond memories for me."

"Yeah," she called back sarcastically as she pulled said dress out of the closet, "like taking it off of me."

"That being one of the front runners," Harry admitted. "Now hurry and get ready, I told the concierge to have the car out front in half an hour."

Forty five minutes later found the couple sitting in the convertible that Harry had leased for the summer for when they wanted to drive places, like when they went into the country a few weekends back. Looking out the window Ginny suddenly realized where they were going.

"Oh, but Harry, how did you get reservations? The waiting list is months long." Ginny asked, breathless with excitement.

"Well, I made reservations months ago," he replied simply.

"But how did you know you would need them months ago?" she wondered.

"I didn't, but I figured I would have someone to take," he replied nonchalantly.

"Way to make a girl feel special Potter," she said grimly.

"Ginny, I'm kidding," he told her. "I've always planned to bring you here tonight, even before we got together, even before you broke up with Giona. Today is the twelfth with is always the day after your birthday, which is always the day I take you out. It's tradition, remember?" he teased. "I knew how it was always one of your dreams to have dinner on top of the Eiffel Tower."

Ginny was a little chagrined at taking his joke so seriously, but didn't have time to dwell on it since they had reached their destination. She could barely contain her giddiness as they took the elevator to the top of the tower.

Once they had reached the top they stood on the observation deck taking in the sights of Paris at night while they waited for the call that their table is ready. The night's gentle breeze was stronger at that elevation and as Ginny gave a slight shiver Harry wrapped his arms around her from behind to keep her warm.

"Thank you Harry," she said softly.

"Just call me your personal warmer-uper," he joked.

"No not for that, although I do appreciate it," she clarified turning her head to look at him. "Thank you for today, tonight, everything, it's perfect."

"Just seeing the lights of Paris at night reflected in your eyes makes it all worth it to me," he replied before leaning down to kiss her throughly.

Just as they were breaking apart the Maitre de called their name. With a look of love flowing between them, Harry extended his arm to lead Ginny to their table.

"You know," Ginny said as she took she finished up her dinner, "we're never going to have this once we go home."

"Have what?" Harry asked.

"This kind of privacy," she explained gesturing around them. "I mean literally no one knows we are together except everyone at camp. We have had this whole summer to just be together and to do our own thing without any outside influences. No press or photographers hounding us for interviews or pictures, no pressure from my family... But when we go home that's all going to change."

"So in other words we're just going to go back to life as usual," he replied.

"But doesn't it ever bother you that that is life as ususal?" she asked taking another sip of champagne.

"I've accepted it as a part of my life, but it obviously bothers you," Harry said seriously. "I know we have had this conversation several times over the years, but I need you to know that all the unwanted attention is just part of the package of being in my life. I know you didn't like it when you were with old what's his face, but you know that it is going to be even worse with me. I need to know, can you handle that?" he asked sincerely.

Ginny thought this over for a moment before responding. She knew perfectly well what she was getting into and she knew her answer. "I may grow tired of it every once in a while, but being with you cancels out any of the negativity that comes with your name and fame."

Harry just smiled as he refilled both of the glasses and raised his glass up to meet hers in a toast. "To our life together, Ginny. May you never stop being the bright spot in mine."

"I'll drink to that."

Before they knew it the night was coming to a close and they were standing out in front of the Eiffel Tower waiting for the valet to bring the car around.

"What are you thinking about?" Harry asked when he noticed the thoughtful look on Ginny's face.

"I was just thinking that this whole night has been one of those moments that I would like to bottle up and keep in a box so I could take it out and always remember exactly how I feel right now," she shared.

"Well it would be a bowl not a box and it's called a Pensieve," he teased. "I can see if I can find you one if you would like," he offered.

Ginny rolled her eyes and stuck one hand on her hip. "Not exactly the romantic sentiment I was going for Potter. And besides in a Pensieve you can only watch the memory, I'm talking about re-experiencing the emotion."

"Alright," he conceded, "let me see if I can do better." He took her by the hand and led her to where the car had been recently re-parked.

She was confused when he didn't move to open the passenger side door for her or even make to get in the car himself, and she was even more confused when he leaned into the convertible so that he could reach the radio.

"I'm going to turn on this radio and what ever song is playing is going to forever remind you of today, this night, and this moment," he explained. "And whenever you hear this song you are going to feel exactly how you do right at this moment."

Ginny waited with baited breath as Harry turned on the radio hoping for the perfect song.

_I'm a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world  
__Made of plasitc, it's fantastic  
__You can brush my hair, undress me everywh– _

"Okaaaay," Harry said after turning off the radio quickly. "I'm going to turn this radio back on and this i_ second_ /i song that you are going to hear is going to be the one that will forever remind of how you feel tonight."

Ginny could see the pressure Harry was feeling on his face as his finger hovered above the preset buttons as he chose a new station and song. She secretly crossed her fingers for luck as he picked one.

_When the world wasn't upside down, I could take all the time I had  
But I'm not going to wait when a moment can vanish so fast _

'Cuz every kiss is a kiss you can never get back

Lift me up in your eyes  
If you told me that is what Heaven is, well, you'd be right  
I've been waiting forever for this  
This is the night

"Good choice," Ginny said with a smile as she listened to the lyrics.

"A little bit better than Aqua," Harry joked, looking proud of himself.

"Just a bit," she replied.

"Dance with me?" he asked.

"Here?"

"Where else?"

"Alright."

_When the answer to all my dreams is as close as a touch away  
Why am I here holding back what I'm trying to say? _

Lift me up in your eyes  
If you told me that is what Heaven is, well, you'd be right  
Hold me close to your heart  
I would go with you to the ends of the Earth and we'll fly  
I've been waiting forever for this  
This is the night

And in that moment it didn't matter that they were dancing in a parking lot at the base of the Eiffel Tower, Ginny knew that whenever she heard this song, _their_ song, in the future she truly would think of this night and feel exactly how she felt at that moment.

_This is the night where we capture forever and all our tomorrows begin  
After tonight, we will never be lonely again _

Lift me up in your eyes  
If you told me that is what Heaven is, well, you'd be right  
Hold me close to your heart  
I would go with you to the ends of the Earth and we'll fly  
I've been waiting forever for this  
This is the night

Absolutely Perfect.

A/N I know I know...Eiffel Tower is cliche and over done but what can I say, I had to do it, how could I resist?...hopefully it was enjoyable anyways... The songs mentioned in this chapter were Barbie Girl by Aqua and This is the Night by Clay Aiken which was a suggestion by my friend Child of Lost, also the Amber Hess song in the beginning is actually off of the Josie and the Pussycat soundtrack (what can I say I'm a summer camp counselor and we need to listen to appropriate music)...another chapter full of fluff as someone put in a review there has been a rash of teddy bear explosions...so are you guys enjoying the fluff or shall I bring back the angst?


	31. Announcements

A/N Hey sorry it took me so long to update between starting school and computer problems (I had to get a new one) I thought I would never get this finished…..But it's time for our favorite couple to go home and back to the real world, at least their real world...(this is where you all go awww because your sad since I wrote their summer in Paris so well, you're sad its over)...but never fear for there is humor and fluff ahead at least I hope its humor and fluff cause if not then I have failed utterly...so yeah I'm in a weird mood right now so I'm just going to cut this off now and let you read the chapter... Oh and a warning for sexual situations…there is a reason I bumped up the rating a notch…

Oh by the way, this chapter is dedicated to American Luna Lovegood for making the most awesome trailer for this story (link at the end of the chapter) And I want to thank my new beta HJaneGranger….

* * *

Ginny took one last look around the hotel suite that she and Harry had called home for the last three months. It had a sad abandoned look and feel, without any of the personal touches and lived in feeling that the couple had added to it over the summer. The photos they had taken where all packed away, there were no shoes kicked off by the entryway, no jumpers draped over then back of the dining table chair, and there weren't any twice read quidditch magazines sitting on the coffee table. 

She was filled with bittersweet feelings about returning to England. On one hand, she was excited to be going home as she was eager to see her family, friends of course Jack, but she was also sad to be leaving France. After all, this was where she had finally told Harry her true feelings for him, only to learn that he had felt the same way about her for years. She had started a new phase of her life here, one she hoped would never end.

"Well my dear, I did one final check around the suite and I don't think we are forgetting anything. Did you shrink all of our luggage?" Harry asked coming out of one of the bedrooms.

Ginny nodded and smiled, but the look of sadness behind her eyes was not lost on him. He crossed behind her and put his arms around her. She leaned on him, wrapping her arms around his and rested her head on his chest. They were silent for a moment together, both unknowingly thinking the same thing. As they looked around they couldn't help but notice how empty and barren the room now felt.

As Ginny thought back to the last time the room looked like this she thought back to how completely different her life was when they had arrived just three short months ago. She could hardly believe that just three months ago she was still getting over her break up with Mauricio and that it was just two months ago that she and Harry had gotten together. If, at the beginning of the summer, someone had told that this was going to happen, she would have told that that they were crazy. Of course she was certainly glad she would have been wrong.

As Harry looked around he realized that it looked exactly how it did when they first moved in, and for a moment it almost felt as if the last three months hadn't happened. He quickly shook himself of that thought, because they did happen, and that's all that mattered to him.

They stayed like that lost in thought until Ginny gave an almost imperceptible sigh as she snuggled a little deeper into Harry's embrace.

"I don't want to leave either, but we have to get back to the real world," he said almost regretfully. "Season is starting soon and you have you have your last year at the Healer Academy to finish, and I know for a fact that you miss Jack," Harry said as Ginny nodded, "plus you mother is expecting us at the Burrow tonight for dinner."

"I know," Ginny responded to Harry's voice of reason, "it's just these past two months has been the most amazing eight weeks I have ever had. I just don't want to have to go back to all tasks I have waiting for me at home. I mean we have to tell my family about us, I have to get ready for classes to start again, I have to go flat hunting and--"

"Wait," Harry interrupted, flipping her around so she was facing him. "Why do you have to go flat hunting?"

"In case you don't remember, I was living with Mauricio before I showed up on your doorstep so now I don't have anywhere to live. And since I'm certainly not going to move back home, there arises the need to find a flat," she explained patronizingly.

"But it was my doorstep you showed up on and I told you that my home was your home for as long as you wanted and that statement still holds true. I just kind of assumed that you would continue staying with me, especially now," Harry rationalized. "Unless of course you don't want to move in with me permanently, I mean I would understand if you felt that was moving to fast."

"No," Ginny contradicted quickly, "of course I want to stay with you, I just didn't want to push you into it. When you extended that offer to live with you, it was as a friend and I didn't want to rush you into anything once we got home. I just didn't think that Harry Potter, king of all those scared of commitment, would want to move in with his girlfriend of two months."

Harry smiled and placed his hands on the side of her face, rubbing his thumbs gently along her cheekbones. "Gin, I told you that it wasn't that I was scared of commitment with all those other girls, it was just that I knew I couldn't commit to anyone but you. It's taken me six years to get you, and now that I have you, I don't want you sleeping any further away from me than three feet for the rest of my life."

Without thinking twice Ginny jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around her waist and showering his face with kisses, "I" - muah - "love" - muah - "you" - muah - "so" - muah - "much."

Harry just laughed and kissed her back, not even breaking contact as he placed their luggage in his pocket and Apparated both of them into the hallway in front of his, no i _their_ /i flat. They lingered in the hall for a moment, caught up in their passionate kissing as Harry used one hand to search his pockets for his keys and the other to unhook Ginny's bra underneath her shirt. Ginny had worked off Harry's shirt and was working on his belt when they stumbled clumsily into the pitch black apartment. All of this was fairly impressive as Ginny still had her legs wrapped around Harry's waist who was still carrying her and they were making out the entire time.

"SURPRISE!!!"

Ginny and Harry froze in shock as someone flipped the lights on to reveal many of their family members and friends and a banner over the couch that read **Welcome Home Harry and Ginny**. The couple just stared at the group wide eyed, who was staring back with equally wide eyes until somebody, whom to Ginny's mortification sounded suspiciously like her father, cleared their throat causing Ginny to realize that she had one hand entangled in Harry's hair and the other one practically down his pants and Harry remembered that he had one hand firmly on Ginny's bum and the other up her shirt.

The room remained silent as Harry slowly put the blushing red head down before putting his shirt back on while Ginny reclasped her bra. Harry would have been lying if he said that his life hadn't flashed before his eyes as he saw all six Weasley brothers staring at him with indiscernible expressions.

"Well," Bill said, finally breaking the awkward silence, "I guess the surprise is on us."

The collective breath that everyone was holding was let out as the room's occupants slowly came back to life.

"Alright everybody," George called out, "everyone that lost pay up."

"Wait¼what¼why¼huh?" Ginny sputtered, regaining her voice but not her composure.

"We've been taking bets on whether the articles in Witch Weekly were true this time," Fred explained bluntly.

"Wait...what articles?" Harry asked.

Hermione took a magazine out of her purse and handed it to Harry who looked at it with Ginny.

**_HAS HARRY POTTER STOLEN EX FLAME BACK FROM MAURICIO GIONA?!_**

Ginny looked up at Hermione before moving on to the article.

"There is more too," the brunette told her, "that one was just the first."

_It seems that the ex-Hogwarts sweethearts have not left their romantic past in the past. Back in their schooling days the couple seemed inseparable and it seems they are once more. _

_After Ginny Weasley's 20 shocking split from fiancée Mauricio Giona 24 back in late May, there was much speculation as to why England's favorite couple had called it quits. Some reports stated that it was Weasley's reconnection with Harry Potter 21 that incited the break. It cannot be said for certain just how much Potter was responsible for the split and to what capacity, but one thing can be said for certain, he is involved now. _

_Ginny seemed to disappear from the public eye early in the summer and now Witch Weekly can confirm that is because she followed Harry to France where he is volunteering as a coach for a Quidditch camp for young and disadvantage witches and wizards. And while a statement released by Ginny's publicist shortly after the breakup stated that the redhead was staying with a friend, her relationship with Potter seems to have gone beyond friendship._

_There have been reports that the couple was seen kissing at the popular Parisian Wizarding nightclub, Club Calisto, just last week, where Giona was reportedly also in attendance with Potter's ex Seraphim Von Burr. Since then Potter and Weasley have been seen several times canoodling throughout the city…_

The article went on but as far as Ginny was concerned she had read enough. _So much for our summer out of the public eye, and who else besides the writers of Witch Weekly uses a word like canoodling?_ she wondered as her eye drifted over to the picture that accompanied the article.

It was a picture of the two of them sitting and eating breakfast at a little café in Paris. They both looked very happy and picture Harry kept brushing a lock of hair off of picture Ginny's face who had her feet in his lap and every once in a while would throw her head back and laugh.

Ginny wasn't sure what to say so she said the first thing that popped into her mind. "That place had the best chocolate croissants didn't it?"

"They sure did and if you ever get a craving just let me know and I will Apparate to Paris and get you one," Harry told her putting an arm around her shoulder pulling her to him and giving her a kiss on the top forehead. Ginny looked up at him with eyes full of love and adoration, completely forgetting that her whole family was in the room and had just seen her in a rather compromising position and that they had been betting on her love life.

It wasn't until she heard Fleur smacking Bill on the arm that she turned her attention back to the room.

"See, 'Arry is willing to get Ginny a croissant all zee way from Paris if she has a craving. You wont even get me zee hot sauce and tuna that I want," a very pregnant Fleur said scowling at her husband.

"It was four in the morning!" Bill exclaimed.

"Not everywhere," Fleur retorted, "'Arry, would go to a different time zone for Ginny."

Bill just gave a sigh of defeat and kissed his wife's blond head as he glared at Harry, who looked like he felt guilty for getting him in trouble, as the rest of the room tried not to laugh. To be fair to Bill, it took a lot of magical energy to Apparate long distances and it was only because Harry was so much more powerful than the average wizard that he was able to do it so flippantly.

"So I guess that we don't need to announce that we are together, do we?" Harry said with a chuckle, seeing the humor in what had just happened now that he knew no one was going to kill him.

"Oh no, you two certainly announced it, just in a way I would rather not see my baby sister," Charlie mentioned with a glance at Harry.

"Well then, if you can't really make your announcement," Remus said taking the pressure off of Harry.

"Then we will make ours," Tonks finished, causing everyone to turn and look at them.

"We've finally set a date," they announced together.

Molly squealed happily as she rushed forward to give the couple a hug. They had been engaged since shortly after the end of the war but had made no motion to actually set a date or get married for close to four years now, much to Molly's chagrin, who considered them family.

"And if we are on the subject of making announcements, then we have one as well," Ron said, looking at Hermione for approval, who nodded and put an arm around his waist.

"We're going to have a baby!" Hermione exclaimed excitedly.

Molly screamed with joy and pushed everyone in her path aside in order to give Ron and Hermione the first hugs and kisses of congratulations, but soon let everyone else have their turn. Molly, Ginny, Tonks, and the rest of the Weasley wives gathered around Hermione, all of them talking excitedly, while Arthur, Harry, Remus and the rest of the Weasley brothers gathered around Ron clapping him on the shoulder and congratulating him.

"How far along are you?" Penelope asked.

"I'm eight weeks," Hermione told her beaming.

"You certainly didn't waste any time little bro," Charlie teased making Ron blush.

"When did you find out?" Ginny asked.

"Yesterday," Hermione responded placing her hand on her still flat stomach.

Everyone was making so much noise and was so busy congratulating the newlyweds that no one noticed that Fleur had made a small squeak and was gripping the corner of a nearby table.

"Umm...I 'ave one more announcement to make," she said loudly, garnering everyone's attention, "My water 'as broke!"

Everyone stood in shocked silence for a moment staring at each other until Bill came to his senses and crossed over to his wife.

"Well, I hate to duck out of a party early, but I think that is our cue to leave," the eldest Weasley son joked.

Fleur glared at her husbands nonchalant attitude as she a contraction rippled through her body.

"Are you alright? How does it feel?" Hermione asked rushing to her sister-in-laws side, wanting to know as much as she could about what she would be experiencing in seven months.

"Hermione!" Ginny admonished, "her uterus in contracting in preparation of pushing something the size of a watermelon through something the size of a lemon. How do you think that feels?!"

"Well, I was just asking," Hermione replied only looking slightly abashed.

"I'll tell you all about it if you would like," Penelope offered, having been through it twice.

"Thanks Pen," Hermione smiled.

"Zat ez all wonderful, but I'm still in labor over here," Fleur announced.

"Yes," Bill said from where he was being congratulated by his brothers on imminent second round of fatherhood, "we really should be going. We still have to go home before we go to the hospital. But everyone have a good time, and welcome home Harry and GinGin."

"Don't call me that and don't worry about going back home," Ginny replied. "I'll go to your flat and grab Fleur's bag for you."

"No," Angelina protested, "I'll go, it's your welcome home party."

"I'll go," Charlie volunteered, "I am going to be this kid's godfather after all."

"Well we don't all need to go," George mentioned.

"Maybe we do," Fred replied. "We don't know how much she packed."

"Still in labor!" the blonde announced again.

"Go, go," Molly ordered, ushering the couple towards the fireplace. "Some one will come bring your bag to you."

"Thanks Mum," Bill said kissing his mother on the forehead. "And can someone let Fleur's family know it's time?" he called as he disappeared through the Floo.

Molly was in her element as she started handing out orders.

"Ron, Hermione, you go alert the Delacours," Molly began, getting into her stride.

"Will do," Ron replied as Hermione nodded.

"Fred, George, go to Bill and Fleur's house and pick up her overnight bag," she assigned them as they got ready to Apparate away. "But don't tamper with it like you did to Penelope. Actually on second thought, Percy, why don't you and Penelope go pick that up.

Percy nodded, taking his assignment seriously.

"Fred, George, you two can go over to the Clearwater's and pick up Annabelle, Parker and Peyton. Then go to the Burrow and grab some things to keep the occupied and some snacks, we might be at the Hospital for a while. And make sure you _watch_ them! Charlie, you go watch the twins. The rest of us will go to St. Mungos now and wait for everyone else to catch up."

The Weasley clan moved into action as they received their orders from their matriarch and those that didn't have a specific task realized Molly was moving the party to the hospital and grabbed their coats.

It wasn't long before everyone, minus Molly and Bill, who were in the delivery room with Fleur, were sitting in the maternity ward waiting room, waiting to greet their newest niece or nephew.

"So does anyone know how long Fleur was in labor with this little sprite?" Charlie, who was currently holding Annabelle, asked.

"Thirty-two hours," Penelope answered.

"Please tell me you are kidding," Fred pleaded, not wanting to wait around that long.

The look on Penelope's face told him she wasn't kidding.

"Well then, I guess we had all better get comfortable," George said stretching his legs out on the coffee table over six month old editions of Witch Weekly.

And get comfortable they did.

* * *

A/N So what did you guys think? Was it worth the wait? Okay a couple announcement….those of you who have a myspace, can join my group that I made for my stories…I check it regularly and it's a good way to ask me questions or maybe get insider information on future chapters….wink wink if you go to my profile, its my homepage… also American Luna Lovegood, for whom this chapter was dedicated made a trailer for this fic which is absolutely amazing and you should all go check it out as soon as possible…lol…I personally love it www (dot) youtube (dot) com/watch?vx9S9vIjbMRc


	32. Approvals

A/N Okay here we are again….this chapter picks up right where 31 leaves off because they were originally one chapter but it was getting so long that I cut it in half and just elaborated on each half…. This would have been ready earlier but I sliced off the tip of my left pointer finger with an exacto blade and then cut my thumb with the same blade three days later (building architectural models can be hazardous to your health) and you would be surprised how much you type with those fingers, so I had the chapter hand written but I couldn't type it until I healed somewhat….So I hope you enjoy Chapter 32...oh and thanks to my Beta Jamie, shes awesome!!

* * *

As the Weasley clan settled in for what they expected to be a long night, they saw no problem with continuing their welcome home party for Ginny and Harry in the maternity ward's waiting room. The group sat around talking and sharing stories just as they would have had Fleur not gone into labor.

With Ginny sitting in Harry's lap, and Hermione nestled comfortably in the crook of Ron's arm, the couples rehashed everything that had gone on in their respective lives in the three months that they had been separated. Well more accurately, Ginny and Hermione were talking at a mile a minute with the boys occasionally interjecting only to be hushed, spoken over, or corrected. They continued on this way for several hours until two very blonde women burst through the doors sending the waiting room into something that vaguely resembled chaos.

Evangeline and Gabrielle Delacour hurried over to the group, their Veela charm unrestrained due to their heightened emotional state. All over the ward, men were being restrained by their mothers, sisters and unfortunately for the men, their girlfriends and wives. Only Harry and the Weasley men were able to exercise any measure of control, and that was only through practice as a result of the years of prolonged contact with Fleur.

"Where is she?" Evangeline asked, quickly disappearing down the corridor everyone pointed to.

Gabrielle on the other hand, settled down on the empty chair beside the one Harry and Ginny were currently sharing, observing their seating arrangement with a knowing smile.

"So I am assuming zat you 'ave already told everyone you are together?" Gabrielle asked, "Or else zis," she continued, gesturing at their proximity to each other, "would be rather awkward."

Gabrielle was able to say this because she had actually been the first of the extended family to find out about the couple. She had run into them in Paris completely by chance while they were walking down the street hand in hand and she had been able to deduce the situation quite quickly. And of course they had explained further when they had all gone to lunch.

"Well, we didn't really have to 'tell' them anything," Ginny replied cryptically, chuckling at herself. She had enjoyed her sister-in-law's dry humor ever since they had bonded while being bride's maids together. "They were able to put the pieces together on their own."

"'Zey caught you in zee act like I did?" the French beauty assumed innocently.

"They subjected you to that too?!?" George asked aghast.

"Do you two do that everywhere?!?" Fred continued with the same expression as on his brother's face.

Charlie's eyes simply narrowed as he looked at Harry.

Gabrielle was clearly confused. "What's es so wrong with 'olding 'ands?"

Harry and Ginny shared a chagrined glance as the twins decided to take it upon themselves to relay to their sister-in-law exactly what had transpired. And although their antics caused Angelina, Alica, and Penelope to cover Parker, Annabelle, and Peyton's ears, they soon had everyone rolling with laughter, including the couple of consequence and even a few other random occupants of the ward's waiting room.

However as the hours passed and there was no news from inside the delivery room everyone, but perhaps Molly, was starting to rethink the wisdom of deciding to wait at the hospital in order to greet their niece or nephew.

And as the hour progressed from late into early, the group became more subdued, no longer swapping amusing anecdotes or playing boisterous games to keep themselves entertained, but instead transitioning to quieter pursuits. Fred, George and Charlie were talking business quietly in a corner, coming up with new ideas for the shop. Ron, Harry and Percy were on baby watching duty, the three of them stretched out on the couches with Annabelle, Peyton, and Parker respectively, draped across their chests, all six of them fast asleep. Ginny was sitting with her mother and five sister-in-laws, but she had long since lost track of the conversation since the passing time was affecting her more than the others as she was still adjusted to Paris time.

"What do you think Ginny?" Angelina asked, snapping the redhead back to reality.

"I agree completely," she replied quickly, only to receive very odd looks from the other women. "That was a completely inappropriate response wasn't it…" she continued resignedly, knowing she had been caught not paying attention.

"That about sums it up," Hermione replied with a smile.

"You could have just said you weren't listening," Molly admonished.

"Sorry Mum," she sighed, "I think I need some coffee. Anyone else want any?"

After taking everyone's requests, she made her way up to the sixth floor staff room which she knew from experience had the best coffee maker in the hospital, although that still wasn't saying much. She was rummaging through the cupboards looking for tops for the paper cups when a familiar voice boomed out behind her.

"Well if it isn't my favorite redhead."

Startled, she abandoned her search as she turned and stood quickly.

"Hey there stranger," Dr. Sean greeted.

"Hey yourself," Ginny replied. "You're here early."

"No, I'm here late," he corrected. "I've been here all day, but you know me, that's nothing new. And what about you? I wasn't expecting to see you around here for a couple weeks yet. I thought you were in Paris for the summer. What, did you just miss me so badly that you couldn't stay away?"

"No, I didn't miss you at all," Ginny teased as she gave her friend and mentor a quick hug, "it was this coffee that I just couldn't not have for another day."

"Oh okay, understandable, I know St. Mungos is famous for it's gourmet coffee," the healer joked back. "But really what are you doing here?"

"Actually, we did just get back from Paris a couple of hours ago. My family was giving Harry and me a welcome home party when Fleur, Bill's wife, went into labor. So right now the whole extended family is downstairs in maternity. I just needed a coffee break."

"Of course," the older man said with a smile knowing Ginny's penchant for the caffeinated drink. "So tell me how was your summer? Paris has always been one of my favorite cities."

"It was amazing," Ginny replied earnestly. "The city was beautiful, working with the kids was so rewarding and of course spending time with Harry was wonderful."

"I bet it was…" Dr. Sean said simply, with a suggestively raised eyebrow.

"If you are trying to insinuate something, you should really just ask it outright," she replied saucily with and equally raised eyebrow.

Ginny's attitude towards the senior healer would have shocked most of the other employees of the hospital. But Dr. Sean wasn't just Ginny's mentor, even though it was her interaction with him the summer after the final battle that made her decide to become a Healer. But she also considered him a friend due to this same interaction, of which he felt the same way meaning. That meant that their conversations when they were alone went way beyond the Healer/trainee, student/teacher, relationship.

The healer simply laughed as he walked over to the cabinet on the opposite wall to where Ginny had been looking, and grabbed a stack of the cup tops that she had been looking for.

"Touché my dear, touché. I guess what I was trying to say, was that there are some very interesting articles being passed around the staff rooms about a certain redhead and a certain famous scarred Quidditch player, and while I know that gossip can a dangerous thing to pay attention too…I have to admit that I was curious as to the validity of these articles."

Ginny rolled her eyes at the thought of the articles making their way around the hospital, "Well I haven't seen these articles, so I can't say for certain, but I think that the imbeciles at Witch Weekly actually might have gotten something right for once," she said with a shy smile.

"Well it's about bloody time!" he exclaimed with a grin.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked as if terribly affronted.

"Nothing, just that I have been waiting for you two to get together since I met you. Even then it was pretty obvious that this was going to happen at some point," he replied. "But enough about that, tell me all about your summer."

The two sat at the table talking while Ginny downed a cup and a half of coffee.

"So…" the Healer started once they had exhausted the topic of her summer abroad. "I was sitting at my desk last week when I noticed a couple files sitting there that I hadn't noticed before."

"Oh yeah?" Ginny asked not sure at what he was getting at.

"Yeah, apparently the time of the year where I have two pick my two new advanced trainees has come again," he continued as if this was of little to no interest to the young woman.

"So it has," Ginny replied in the same disinterested tone even though she was anything but.

Out of all the possible positions available to the advanced trainees, spending a year under the tutelage of Healer Ravolopologous was the most prestigious. Even at his relatively young age, he was considered one of the best Healers in all of Great Britain and perhaps even western Europe and for that reason was given all the most difficult and interesting cases. He was the man they called in when no one else could figure out, hence the reason he was assigned Harry's case all those years ago, meeting and befriending Ginny and subsequently inspiring her to go into healing. So of course when it came time to apply for positions, this was the first she submitted.

"Lots of excellent applicants this year," he mused. "I noticed a lot of women are at the top of the class this year."

Ginny nodded, this was all old news to her.

"Celeste DuPoir's application was especially impressive," he continued.

"Yes, she is very talented," she agreed, "she was in my Diagonal Diagnostics and Healing Holistically classes last term."

"There was one other young woman, whose application really stood out from the rest. What was her name…." he looked across the table to where Ginny was failing miserably at seeming composed. "Good gods Ginny, take a breath before your head explodes," he laughed. "Of course you've been given the position. I wouldn't be stringing you along if you hadn't. I accepted your application and I just got the proper approval this morning. You start in two weeks."

The redhead let out the breath she was indeed holding, as she looked at the Healer with wide eyes as she absorbed what he had just said. But then as the realization that she had just received what she had been working towards the past three years, she gave an excited squeal and all but launched herself over the table to give the older man a hug much to his amusement.

Once Ginny had calmed down, Dr. Sean turned serious once more. "Now I want you to know Ginny, that I didn't choose you just because I have a soft spot for the little spitfire who once slapped one of my coma patients for coming out of his coma," he said with a slight simile. "But I actually hid the names on all of the applications because I new that you would be in there and I wanted to choose the two best trainees to add to my team. You came by this position fair and square. You are shaping up to be an incredibly talented Healer and I am going to expect just as much, if not more from you as I do from the rest of my team members."

"I understand and I wont disappoint you," she reassured him, beaming with happiness.

"I know you wont, that's why I picked you," he said going back to all smiles. "Now why don't you gather up your coffee orders and tell Harry and your family the good new. Just try to act surprised when you have your official appointment to receive your position because I'm not supposed to tell you ahead of time."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Harry was awoken when baby Peyton, who was using him as a pillow, started fussing.

"What's wrong little man?" he asked the infant sleepily. "Do you want your Mum?" As if he could understand him, Peyton screwed up his mouth and gave an almighty wail, that managed to wake up Ron and Percy as well. "I'll take that as a yes then," Harry joked as he walked the ten month old over to where the women were sitting.

"Thank you Harry," Penelope said taking her son. "He's just hungry," she told him as she pulled a bottle out of the diaper bag.

"I was watching you," Molly mentioned. "You're really good with him."

"Thank you, I've always liked babies," he replied, blushing ever so slightly.

"You're going to make an excellent father someday," Alicia said, causing Harry to blush further.

"Well, why don't I start out with trying to be a good godfather," he replied, looking at Hermione's still flat stomach.

"Do you want to have children someday?" Angelina asked.

"Eventually," he replied quickly. "I'm thinking four, two boys and two girls."

"Two with black hair, two with red?" Hermione asked slyly.

"Perhaps," he replied in the same tone, making everyone laugh. "Speaking of red hair, where is my favorite redhead?"

"I'm right here," Ron announced from where he was putting a blanket over the two toddlers, where they had put the cousins to snuggle together in their sleep.

"No I mean the pretty one," Harry laughed.

"I'm pretty!" Ron replied as if seriously affronted, making everyone laugh harder.

"Keep telling yourself that Ron," George called from where his group had begun listening in on the conversation.

"But seriously," Alicia interrupted, brining the conversation back around to where it started, "Ginny went to go get coffee."

"Of course," Harry said with a knowing smiled. "I should have known."

"Your children are going to be weaned on coffee not milk," Fred joked to everyone's amusement.

"At least Ginny's children will," Charlie added pointedly.

"What do you mean by that?" Harry asked turning to the second eldest Weasley, who he now remembered was the only one who had not congratulated them back at their flat.

"I'm just saying that your children might not be Ginny's children is all," he replied simply.

"Charlie!" Molly admonished.

"What Mum? I'm just saying that with Harry's dating past -"

"If you have something to say to me just say it," Harry replied calmly as he stood.

"Yeah I have something to say to you alright," Charlie said stepping up in front of Harry.

_This would have been way more intimidating if I was still sixteen and shorter than him,_ Harry thought to himself when he realized Charlie had to look up to give him a menacing glare.

"Charles Robert Weasley!" Molly exclaimed.

"It's alright," Harry said pleasantly, finding humor in the situation. Charlie looked as if he wanted to wipe the smile off his face with his fist, the twins were looking on with intense interest, and Ron just looked concerned, for who though was the question. "Shall we take this into the hall?" he asked.

Charlie looked at all of his brothers and motioned for them to follow him before turning and marching towards the corridor, all of his brothers, including Percy, not far behind.

"Harry, you don't have to go out there," Molly told him shaking her head at her sons' actions.

"We could go knock some sense into our husbands if you would like," Angelina offered, to which Alicia readily agreed.

"It's alright," Harry replied, turning down their offer. "To be honest, I was expecting this at some point. Ladies," he said cordially with a polite nod of his head as he excused himself.

"So what seems to be the problem gentleman?" he asked when he walked through the double swinging door to where the five men were waiting.

The brothers looked at each other for a moment before silently electing Percy to speak.

"Harry, we had a discussion amongst ourselves and a few of us expressed concerns regarding your intentions towards our younger sister," Percy explained pompously.

Harry had to restrain a smile. Even though Percy had loosened up quite a bit since he rejoined his family, there was still always a bit of that old pretension in him.

"Please, share these concerns you have," he replied in the same tone.

"Well Harry-" Percy began.

"We want to know if you are going to dump our sister in a month leaving her heart broken," Charlie interrupted bluntly.

"Of course not!" Harry replied honestly.

"Well you have to see why we might worry," Fred mentioned with uncharacteristic seriousness.

"You do have a history," George added.

"This is different," Harry replied.

"Why?" Percy asked.

"Because I love her," he stated simply, "I have since I was fifteen years old."

"If that's so why has it taken it so long for you two to get together?" Charlie challenged.

"Because I would have found this way more intimidating at fifteen and I wanted to delay it for a couple of years," he retorted sarcastically. "But seriously, Ginny and I know why it has taken us so long to get together, and she understands and is alright with my past dating history and she knows why our relationship is different. She knows that the only reason I couldn't commit to all those other girls was because they weren't her. She trusts me not to hurt her so if you trust her than you should trust me as well."

This seemed satisfactory for Percy and the twins, but Charlie still seemed doubtful.

"How do I know that you just haven't taken advantage of my sisters vulnerable state after her breakup with Giona?"

"Have you met your sister?" Harry asked Charlie, making the twins chuckle.

"Oh so your on his side now?" Charlie asked his younger brothers.

"Well we kind of always were…" George said.

"We've always liked Harry…" Fred continues.

"I consider him a suitable candidate for Ginny," Percy added.

"What about you?" Charlie asked, turning to his youngest brother who had remained silent up until this point. "You know better than anyone his reputation with women."

"I don't think you want to know what I think…" Ron said shaking his head. "I just came out here cause you told me to."

"Just tell me," Charlie said resignedly.

"Well, I couldn't be happier for them. And I think its about damn time they got together. I mean I have only been trying to push them together for years," he admitted.

"Where you really?" Harry asked, now intrigued.

"Yeah, who do you think was spreading those rumors seventh year so that no one would approach Ginny to ask her out before you could."

"Ha!" Harry laughed. "I never knew. Don't tell Gin that, I don't think she would ever forgive you."

"And whose idea do you think it was to force you two together before lessons that one time?"

"I just assumed it was Hermione's idea."

"Nope it was mine."

"Well thank you," Harry said clasping his best friends shoulder. "I appreciate it."

"You're welcome," Ron replied returning the gesture. "I couldn't stand seeing you both so unhappy. Something happened when you two became friends in school. You two just weren't the same people without each other and it hurt me to watch you grow apart. You need each other."

"AWWWWW!!!" the twins exclaimed simultaneously as they hugged their little, but taller, brother tightly from both sides. "Our little Ronniekins is all deep and sensitive."

"Oh bugger off," Ron replied, shrugging off his brothers. "But all that said… Take care of her mate. Don't let her fall."

"I wont," he reassured his best friend.

However, Harry wasn't expecting to have this promise tested so quickly or so literally as he turned around to see Ginny practically running towards him. But he was able to catch her as she jumped into his arms, and still managed to use an impressive bit of wandless magic to keep the coffee cups that she had been levitating down the hall from falling and spilling all over the floor.

"Whoa there Peanut, what was that for?" he asked after she planted a large kiss on him. "Although I'm not complaining of course."

"Guess what!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"There has been a pygmy puff population explosion and the ministry mandated that everyone has to adopt three of them before the end of the week," Harry guessed.

"I got the position!" she told him, ignoring his joke.

"What!?! That's fantastic!" Harry exclaimed, sharing her excitement as she spun her around in a circle. "I knew you would. Didn't I tell you that you would? When did you find out? Who told you? When do you start? Tell me exactly what happened."

Charlie watched speculatively as Harry became completely engrossed in what Ginny was saying, ignoring him and the rest of his brothers. As he watched them interact, he considered that maybe it would be all okay after all. And when Harry did look over at him, he gave a slight nod of approval, to which Harry simply smiled, then turned back to his girlfriend.

Ginny had just finished telling the rest of her family her news when a haggard looking Bill came into the waiting room holding a tiny pink bundle of blankets.

"I would like you all to meet Michelle Deanna Weasley," Bill announced.

While everyone hurried over to meet their new granddaughter or niece, Harry pulled Ginny back for a moment.

"I'm very proud of you," he whispered as he pulled her into an embrace.

"I'm proud of me too," she replied making Harry laugh as they pulled apart.

"Now lets go meet Michelle and go home. I'm exhausted," he told her.

"Me too," she agreed, privately smiling at the idea of a home with Harry.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

Ginny woke up the next morning to see Harry standing in front of the closet with his hands on his hips.

"Good morning babe," she murmured as she struggled to bring herself into full awareness.

"This isn't going to work," he said solemnly without turning around.

That did it as she sat up straight completely alert. "What?" she asked in astonishment.

"It's just not possible. I've been trying to think of another way all morning, but I have had to come to the conclusion that it just wont work. Not with the two of us," he reiterated. "Not even magic is going to help this."

"When did you discover this problem?" she asked in horror.

"Ginny," he said turning around to face her, "it's obvious, don't tell me you don't see that this is an issue."

"What are you talking about!?!" Ginny exclaimed, both upset and confused.

Harry turned back around so that he had his back to her. "This closet simply isn't big enough to hold both of our wardrobes," he clarified. "It's already magically expanded and full with just my stuff and the closet in the guest bedroom is full with your clothes which is also expanded. They're both full before I even had a chance to unpack all the new stuff we bought this summer. I'd forgot how you can shop," he joked looking over his shoulder. "What's wrong with you?" he asked concerned when he saw how pale she was.

Ginny let out a deep breath that she hadn't even been aware that she was holding. "Closets..." she muttered. "You're worried about closet space."

"Yeah, what did you think I was talking about?" he asked not waiting for a reply before continuing. "We need to figure out what we're going to do because this isn't going to work and I don't think I can expand this closet anymore than I already have. I never realized until I went to unpack this morning how extensive both of our wardrobes are. We have a lot of clothes."

Ginny started laughing, half out of relief and half at how worried Harry was about something as trivial as closet space. She thought it was cute how concerned he was about making this room her room as well, she also didn't fail to catch how her old room was now the guest room once more.

"Well," she finally said, "I could always just keep all my clothes in the guest room and get ready in there in the mornings."

"No," he replied quickly shooting down her suggestion, "you shouldn't have to leave. I'll put my stuff in there you can have this closet."

"No," she too shot down, "I don't want to kick you out of your closet either…I know what we can do," she said having an idea. "We both have to much stuff as it is, partly due to my shopaholic tendencies and the fact that you receive all kinds off free stuff just because you are you, and I know we both have clothes that are either out of style or that we simply don't wear anymore. So why don't we clean out both closets and donate all the things we don't want anymore."

"That's a great idea," he agreed crossing over to the bed and lying on is horizontally so that his head was in her lap. "But even with all that stuff gone there still wont be enough space. Did you know I have twenty four pairs of shoes?"

"Why so many? Ginny laughed. "And why did you count?"

"I told you I've been trying to figure out how to get all of our stuff into one closet. And before you laugh at me, you have sixty seven pairs. Ever heard of Imelda Marcos?" he retorted.

"Yeah well my feet stopped growing when I was twelve, they've accumulated over the years. Besides I'm a girl, what's your excuse?" she bantered back.

"Well some of them, like you said, I get for free just for being Harry Potter, some I just need, and the rest i_ you_ /i probably had me buy," he pointed out as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Touché Potter," the redhead acknowledged with a laugh. "So back to the issue, why don't we put all of our autumn and winter clothes in this closet, and we'll put all our spring and summer stuff in the guest room and rotate when the time comes. And then we can put all the winter coats which really take up the most room anyway and put those in the hall closet."

"Genius!" Harry exclaimed jokingly.

"I know, I know," she replied with false modesty. "But," she continued with a brisk pat on his back, "we should get started because I have a feeling this is going to take all day."

However, at this point Harry was quite comfortably snuggled into her lap and the surrounding blankets and had no desire to move any time soon.

"Harry...Harry, get up," she insisted.

"But I'm comfy," he whined, his voiced muffled my blankets and her stomach.

"If you don't get up in five seconds I'll..." she paused to think of appropriate threat, "I'll tickle you."

"I'm up!" Harry exclaimed jumping up faster than Trevor trying to escape Neville.

"That's what I thought," Ginny replied as she pushed back the blankets and walked towards the door. "Come on, I'll cook breakfast before we got to work."

"You know Peanut, I don't really think that pouring two bowls of cereal really constitutes cooking," Harry mentioned following her into the kitchen.

"Hey, we haven't been here in three months and we haven't had a chance to go grocery shopping yet, we don't have anything to eat besides cereal," she replied defensively as she pulled the cardboard boxes out of the pantry.

"That and the fact that you almost burned down the kitchen the last time you tried to make toast," he added as he grabbed two bowls.

"It was the toaster's fault," she accused as she poured. "Honestly, who makes a toaster that has a timer that goes for ten minutes!"

"Whatever you say my love," Harry placated. "But I hope you realize we don't have any milk."

"Oh bugger."

* * *

A/N Soooo….that was a long one….but what did you all think? Also a quick note from the lovely lady who made a trailer for this story…if you guys haven't checked it out yet go do it now….the link is in my profile….

I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who watched my trailer and commented about it! i'm so glad you all liked it and that everyone thinks it did this WONDERFUL story justice. and for those of you having trouble with the video starting and stopping, i think i know what's happening. the uploading line at the bottom of the video should be ahead before you start playing, so you should pause the video for a minute at the beginning and then start it once the red line is a little farther on. thanks again!  
-The American Luna Lovegood


	33. Gifts

A/N So now that our couple is solidly together, we're going to have some smaller time jumps as we watch them and their relationship grow and progress...plus what better way to pass the time than with some well deserved fluff...especially with all it took to get them together...I wanna give a huge shout out thank you to my good friend Corrin for helping me brainstorm for this chapter and letting me bounce ideas off of her…..

* * *

The autumn months passed quickly and pleasantly and before they knew it, the holiday season was upon them once more and a certain red head, unbeknownst to her raven haired boyfriend, was feeling extra festive.

The two of them had spent the morning and a portion of the afternoon decorating the flat and Christmas tree. Harry had laid down on the couch exhausted since Ginny had insisted doing most of the work the Muggle way. But as he began to stir he realized that perhaps a nap had not been the wisest of ideas.

He knew something was amiss even before he opened his eyes when he realized he couldn't turn his head from side to side and that there was some kind of blinking light very close to his eyes.

_She did not do to me what I think she did to me…_ Harry thought as he sat up and looked at the mirror that hung on the wall opposite of the sofa. _Oh yes she most definitely did._

"Finite Incantatem," he murmured at himself, only to discover that it didn't work. He sat there for a good ten minutes, trying every spell he could think of, but none of them wanted to work. He sighed when he realized he didn't have anymore options. "Oh Ginny?" he called lightly.

"Yes, dear?" she called back, amusement clear in her voice.

"Would you care to explain why I have suddenly sprung a pair of antlers and a blinking red nose?" he asked as Ginny came into view. She halted abruptly in the doorway and immediately started cracking up.

"I think it's a good look for you," the red head replied, once she had stopped laughing long enough to speak.

"And while antlers might have been a good look for my father while he was in Animagus form, they are not a good look for me to go Christmas shopping for you in," he replied.

"For me?" Ginny asked, intrigued since he had been hinting at the gift he was going to get her for weeks now, building her curiosity to a practically unbearable level.

"Yes, for you," Harry teased, knowing that was the way to get her attention. "Why did you think Ron was coming over?"

"Because his wife is six months pregnant and insanely hormonal and he'll use any excuse to get away from her for an afternoon?"

"No, that's why he agreed to come over," Harry laughed. "The reason he's coming over is to help me shop for you."

"And that's him," Ginny stated as she walked over to answer the knock on the door. "Hey, big brother," she greeted.

"Hey, Gin," Ron replied. "Hey, Harry. I like your new look, very festive."

"Ginny!" Harry exclaimed in irritation.

"It's alright, Harry," Ron said, his lip quivering in suppressed laughter. "The twins did the same thing to me last weekend. It's one of their new products, I see they gave my darling little sister one to test as well."

"Well, would someone please explain to me how I get rid of them?"

"You have to sing," Ron replied sympathetically.

"Sing?"

"Yes, sing," Ginny repeated, looking much too gleeful for Harry's comfort.

"A Muggle song actually," Ron continued to explain. "Hermione had to teach it to me. Although you might know it since you grew up as a Muggle. It was something about a deer with a cold…"

"You mean 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'?" Harry deadpanned, knowing the song from his childhood.

"Yes, that's the one!" Ron exclaimed.

"You are so paying for this later," Harry muttered, threatening his girlfriend with forthcoming retribution.

"Oh, just start singing," Ginny replied, looking grandly unconcerned.

With a deep sigh and a desire to get it over with as quickly as possible, Harry took a deep breath and began the classic Christmas tune.

_Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer  
had a very shiny nose.  
And if you ever saw him,  
you would even say it glows. _

All of the other reindeer  
used to laugh and call him names.  
They never let poor Rudolph  
join in any reindeer games.

Then one foggy Christmas Eve  
Santa came to say:  
"Rudolph with your nose so bright,  
won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"

Then all the reindeer loved him  
as they shouted out with glee,  
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer,  
you'll go down in history!

His good humor restored as he heard a pop that signaled the disappearance of his new accessories, he gave a small bow as his best friend and girlfriend applauded his performance.

"Bravo, bravo," Ginny cheered.

"All I can say is that you're lucky that you're cute or else I might have changed my mind about what I'm getting you for Christmas," Harry jested.

"And what is it that you're planning on getting me?" Ginny asked innocently.

"Nice try, Peanut."

"Come on…just give me a hint," she pleaded.

"Nope," he replied, "I don't want to ruin the surprise."

"Is it bigger than a bread box?" she tried anyway.

"Not telling."

"Does it sing?"

Harry simply shrugged.

"Is it a turtle?"

"A turtle?" Harry asked, surprised. "Why would I get you a turtle? Do you want a turtle?"

It was Ginny's turn to shrug.

"Is it-"

"Gin, give it up, I'm not telling you."

"Fine," she grumbled, crossing her arms across her chest like an obstinate child.

Harry just laughed at her and placed a kiss on the crown of her head, finding her adorable when she pouted.

"So what are your plans for this afternoon?" Harry called as he got his coat and scarf out of the hall closet.

"I was going to see if I could finish up your present actually," she called back, flopping on the couch.

"Oh, will that mean that I will actually be back allowed into my own study?" he asked.

Ginny sighed theatrically, "I suppose."

"Well, that will be cause for celebration," Harry joked. "And I don't really feel like cooking tonight, did you want me to pick something up on the way home?"

"Sure," she called, picking up the magazine that was sitting on the coffee table. "What are you in the mood for?"

"I dunno, something exotic perhaps tonight?" he replied.

"How about sushi?" she suggested. "Don't make that face, Ron; you shouldn't knock something until you've tried it."

The red head continued to make a face at his younger sister. Ron, usually the human garbage disposal, or the "loud grumbly thing" as he called it, refused to try anything that wasn't cooked.

Harry just ignored his best friend. "What about Thai? We haven't had that in a while."

"Oh, perfect," Ginny replied, smiling. "You know what I want?"

"Of course," Harry said, returning the smile. "Chicken pad Thai, no egg and an iced chai tea."

"Yummy," she said, already looking forward to it as she tossed the magazine on the cushion beside her and padded barefoot over to the door. "I love you," she said, standing on her toes to kiss him on the corner of his mouth.

"I love you more," was Harry's usual reply.

"No, I love you more," Ginny countered.

"No, I love you more," Harry insisted.

"No, I lo-"

"No, you both love me more," Ron interrupted, rolling his eyes. "Now can we please go before I need to go brush my teeth from all the sweetness in the room?"

The couple looked at each other in amusement.

"Go get me the present you refuse to give me any hints about," she said, giving the boys both a push towards the door. "The way you've been hyping it up, it better be good," she teased.

"Oh, don't worry, you're going to love it," Harry assured her as he closed the front door behind himself.

"So," Ron asked his newly de-antlerfied best friend as they walked into the heart of Muggle London, "what exactly is this fantastic mystery gift that we are shopping for today?"

Harry glanced at Ron out of the corner of his eye before focusing on bundling his coat around him tighter to keep the cold winter wind out of it. "I have no idea," he finally said frankly.

"What?!" Ron exclaimed. "Then what was all of that back there?" he asked pointing over his shoulder.

"Well," Harry admitted sheepishly, "she has been locked up in my study, working on something for me for the past two weeks, so I felt like I should already know what I was getting her. So I might have implied that I already knew exactly what I was getting her and that she would love it… And now I have to live up to all my bragging."

"Good job, Potter," Ron laughed.

"Oh yeah? Well what have you gotten for Hermione?" Harry challenged.

Ron stopped laughing.

"That's what I thought," Harry said smugly. "You have no idea what you're getting your wife either."

"That's not true, I already gave her something" the redhead insisted.

"And what would that be?" Harry asked disbelievingly.

Ron paused for a moment, "A baby. Top that, Potter."

"Right and then when she Avada Kedavra's your arse for suggesting that her being six months pregnant and her doing all the work and having all the pain is your Christmas present to her, I'll tell her that you were just joking and tell her what you really got her," Harry replied expressionlessly.

"I'm getting her something too."

"Do you know what?"

"I have plenty of good ideas."

"Iwagontaashginwhamionmiwan," he muttered.

"What?" Harry asked, wondering if Ron was even speaking English.

"I said, 'I was going to ashginwhamionemighwan'."

"You're going to what?"

"I'm going to ask Ginny what Hermione might want!" Ron finally exclaimed.

Harry actually stopped walking in surprise at Ron's outburst as laughter bubbled up through his chest. "Oh, Ron," he said once he caught his breath from laughing, "you can't do that any more than I could go to Hermione to ask what Ginny might want. Don't you realize that women compare notes? She'll find out if you got her something Ginny suggested and it won't mean as much as something that you picked out yourself. And she might never mention anything about it, but you'll always know that she knows, and she'll know that you know that she knows."

Ron looked crestfallen and a little confused about the circles Harry was talking around.

"Face it, mate," Harry spoke again, "You're in the same boat that I'm in."

"Yeah well, then it's a good thing that we're shopping today isn't it," Ron finally relented, admitting defeat.

"It sure is," Harry agreed. "Come on, I'm sure we can find something for them here."

Ron nodded and followed Harry into Harrods.

"Why are women so hard to shop for?" Ron asked, discouraged after an hour and a half of browsing without finding anything particularly wonderful. "What about this?" he said, picking up a box and showing it to Harry.

"It is your first Christmas as a married couple; you can not get her a foot bath."

Ron sighed as he put down the box, "You're right, but this is your first Christmas with Ginny as a couple so you have the same pressure."

"I noticed," Harry replied. "What did you get Hermione your first Christmas as a couple?"

"We were sixteen, she didn't expect that much from me," Ron admitted. "She was happy with the leather bound journal I got her."

"Hmm," Harry said, disappointed that this didn't help him much. "You know, I think I'm just going to get her some jewelry. After all, you can't go wrong with diamonds, right?"

"Right," Ron agreed nodding, although neither of them seemed terribly confident in what they were saying.

Making their way to the jewelry department, the pair was just as lost as they walked past the rows of fine gemstones encased in glass.

"So do you think that she would like something like this?" Harry asked, pointing to a row of diamond tennis bracelets.

"These are nice too," Ron replied, not even bothering to look at what Harry was pointing to.

"Ron, those are engagement rings," Harry said pointedly, not paying any mind to the two overweight men that were on the far side of the redhead, looking in the same case.

"I know, Harry," Ron replied in the same tone.

"What are you trying to say, Ron Weasley?"

"What do you think I'm trying to say, Harry Potter?"

At the sound of Harry's name, the two aforementioned men whipped around, turning the two way glaring match into a four way glaring match. Once they had identified each other, the four men looked at each other with barely concealed, or in some cases, overt disgust.

"If it isn't freak boy and his freaky friend," Dudley Dursely remarked.

"Oh, I'm so insulted," Harry replied sarcastically with a roll of his eyes. "Dursely, we're twenty two, aren't we a bit past the name calling stage? Or if you're not, hasn't your vocabulary grown since you were eight?"

"What are _you_ doing here?" Vernon interjected before Dudley could respond.

"I'm buying a Christmas present for my girlfriend. What are you doing here?" Harry shot back.

"We're picking out an engagement ring for Dudley's girlfriend," Vernon bragged.

Harry and Ron looked at each other, surprised that Dudley had managed to get a girlfriend that would potentially marry him.

"Well congratulations, have you told her about the tail yet?" Harry asked as if he was genuinely interested.

"I had that removed," Dudley said quickly. "And how the hell did you get a girlfriend? She must be a freak just like you."

"That's my sister you're talking about, Porky," Ron said, getting riled up.

"Figures," Dudley snorted.

Harry had to reach out and grab his friend's arm before Ron whipped out his wand to give his cousin another tail.

"So not worth it," Harry muttered to the angry redhead. "Let's just pick something out for Ginny and go."

Ron nodded, knowing that as an Auror he really couldn't afford to get in trouble for doing magic in the middle of a Muggle shopping mall. The pair went back to browsing the cases, pointedly ignoring Harry's uncle and cousin.

"Could we get some help over here?!" Vernon bellowed.

Quickly a short man with thinning hair walked out from the back room. "How may I help you, sir?"

"Yes, I'm looking for a very special engagement ring to give to my girlfriend for Christmas," Dudley replied pompously. "The bigger the better."

"Of course, sir," the salesman replied with only a trace of disdain in his voice as he pulled a tray of rings out of the case for the men to look at. "These are some of our largest rings we have at the moment, but I warn you that some of them are quite pricy."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Dudley replied, looking over his shoulder at his cousin, hoping for a reaction.

The salesman followed Dudley's line of sight to Harry, who happened to be running a hand through his hair, clearly exposing his scar.

"Harry Potter?!" the older man exclaimed excitedly, taking the tray and sliding it back into the glass case just as Vernon was about to grab a ring to look at.

Harry looked up in surprise as the salesman rushed towards him, hand outstretched, while the Dursley's watched in shock, Uncle Vernon slowly turning purple.

"Jason Manning," the man introduced himself. "It's such an honor to meet you."

"Well, thank you," Harry said graciously, wondering what the odds were that he would come across probably the only Wizard jewelry salesman in Muggle London. Usually he would have tried to do down play who he was and make sure he wasn't given special treatment, but as he glanced over at his 'family', he figured he could make an exception just this once.

"You're my son's hero," Mr. Manning gushed. "He has your poster hanging above his bed at home. He just started at Hogwarts this year and was sorted into Gryffindor, his dream is to follow in your footsteps and become Seeker next year, just like you were."

"I certainly hope he makes it," Harry smiled.

"But enough about all of that," the older man said, realizing that he was rambling. "How may I be of service, sir?" he asked sincerely, adopting a more professional tone.

"Well, I was looking at these tennis bracelets as a gift for my girlfriend for Christmas," Harry explained.

"Oh no, no, no!" Mr. Manning exclaimed.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, genuinely surprised.

"These bracelets are much too plain for such a lovely woman as Ms. Weasley. You need something extra special for such an extra special lady," he explained. "Let me go in the back and get the trays that we only show our most important customers."

Before Harry could protest, the salesman was gone, leaving Harry trying to hide his smirk as he glanced over at the two, now ignored, men who were glaring at him suspiciously.

"How did he know who you and your girlfriend are?" Dudley said in an accusatory fashion.

"Everyone knows who Mr. Potter is and you would have to be living under a rock to not know that he has been dating Ms. Weasley," Mr. Manning said matter-of-factly as he walked back into the main show room, his face hidden by the piles of trays he was carrying.

Harry spent the next twenty minutes being shown piece after piece, each more grandiose than the last while Ron watched Vernon get progressively more purple with each necklace and ring, and Dudley's eyes bug further out of his skull with each bracelet and pendant.

Finally, Mr. Manning reached the last tray which held a single extravagant diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald necklace.

"Wow," was the only word that Harry could say as the older man handed him the necklace.

"Yes I know," Mr. Manning agreed. "It's simply breathtaking isn't it? It's truly the pièce de résistance of our store."

"It's something alright," Ron interjected, "I think Ginny would fall over if she put that on."

Harry glanced over at his stunned cousin and uncle before turning to the salesman and exclaiming, "I'll take it."

"What!?" Ron, Vernon, and Dudley exclaimed simultaneously, albeit for different reasons.

"I said, I'll take it," Harry repeated.

"Excellent choice, sir!" Mr. Manning exclaimed happily. "Of course, I didn't expect anything less from you, Mr. Potter. How would you like to pay for the piece?" he asked as he began to wrap it up.

Harry couldn't hide his smirk as he heard his uncle give a gasp of disbelief as he pulled out his wallet and replied, "Will cash be alright?"

"Merlin, Midas and Morgana!" Ron laughed as they walked out of the department store. "The look on their faces when you pulled out all those piles of hundred pound notes out of your wallet was priceless. I wish I had a camera, I thought your uncle was going to have a heart attack right there in the middle of the store."

Harry laughed as well as he too remembered the looks on their faces. "I'm just glad that my wallet is charmed directly to my Gringotts account. I was not planning on spending that kind of money today."

"Yeah about that, Harry," Ron said, looking slightly irritated. "I'm glad you love my sister that much, but do you have to set the bar so high for me and the rest of my brothers? You said yourself that the women trade notes right? It's just not fair."

Harry just laughed in response. "Come on Ron, we have to go to another jewelry store before we go find something for Hermione."

"What?" Ron asked. "You just spent more than most people make in a year - more than most people make in ten years - on that monstrosity of a necklace, why do we need to go to another jewelry store?"

"Right," Harry replied as if that was the answer. "Did you see this thing?" he asked holding up the bag. "This thing is huge! It's the gaudiest, most ostentatious, vulgar piece of jewelry I have ever seen in my life. Ginny would never wear this thing in a million years."

"Oh thank Merlin," Ron said, grateful he wasn't the only one who thought so.

"I'm going to take this to another jewelry store so I can have this thing broken apart and made into several other much more tasteful pieces, things that Ginny would actually wear," he explained. "I mean, I know I have plenty of gold in the bank, but I'm not stupid. I'm planning on getting three Christmas', four Valentine's Days, a couple birthdays, and maybe an anniversary or two out of this thing."

"You know, by the time you finish giving her that necklace she's going to be sick of getting jewelry," Ron joked.

"Well then," Harry said resignedly, "I guess after that I can always get her a footbath."

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A/N Sooo whatcha think? As you can tell by the title, this is a two parter since it was getting ridiculously long….the next chapter it about half finished and includes what Ginny got Harry, what Ron got Hermione and a whole lot of glitter….

Also this story is now being illustrated…more info and the link to the pictures are on my author page…


	34. Bathrooms Part 1

A/N So as I was writing this and it was getting absurdly long, I realized that this worked better as the first half of a two parter than as the second half of the last chapter… hence the renaming of the last chapter… I really enjoyed writing this chapter so I hope you enjoy reading it…oh and there is some definite sexual tension in this chapter, so fair warning….

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The first thing that Harry did when coming into consciousness, before even opening his eyes, was to reach out for the warm body he had fallen asleep next to. His brow furrowed when his searching hand found only a dented pillow and rapidly cooling sheets. One eye popped open, quickly confirming his suspicions. His chronically late sleeping girlfriend had disappeared. 

Now, to his sleep fogged mind, there were only three things this could mean. One, she had been kidnapped in the middle of the night by rouge Death Eaters without him waking up. Two, the past five months had been an elaborate dream and he wasn't even dating Ginny. Or three - he thought as he heard the water running in the bathroom - she had a actually gotten before him and was taking a shower.

For a moment, he couldn't think of what would actually make Ginny get out of bed and get ready this early if she wasn't working at the hospital, until he remembered that it was Christmas Eve. Since all the Weasley children had moved out of the Burrow, and were even having children of their own, it had become tradition that the whole Weasley brood, along with their significant others and families if they had them, would spend the day before Christmas in their childhood home.

As Harry lay in bed for a few more minutes he mused on his change of role this year. He had always attended Christmas Eve as the seventh adopted son, as the Weasley's had always treated him, even when he was going through 'his phase' as Ginny called it, but this year he was also attending as one of the significant others. He also expected it would be a much more enjoyable day that it had been before, since it had been awkward the past few years since it was one of the times he couldn't avoid Ginny when they weren't on speaking terms.

In the past he had actually considered not going to the Burrow because of Ginny, and if he hadn't known ahead of time each year from Ron, that she wasn't going to bring Giona, he probably wouldn't have gone. But a part of him felt compelled to go even though it was painful to be so close to her physically, yet so distant emotionally. However, he put himself through the torture each year, because even though he wouldn't admit it to himself at the time, he was so deeply in love with her that the pain of seeing her knowing she was with someone else was better than not seeing her at all.

But this year, he thought as he came to the end of his contemplations, this year was different. This year was going to be how it should have been all along. He smiled to himself as he swung his legs over the side of the bed, ready to start his day.

Rubbing the excess sleep out of his eyes with one hand and hitching up his pajama pants that were sliding down his hips with the other, he shuffled barefoot to the bathroom. Opening the door he was struck by a wall of steam so thick that he couldn't see further than a foot in front of his face. Fairly certain that there had been a bathroom here last time he checked, he ventured into the cloud.

"Morning babe," Ginny called from the shower when she heard the door click shut behind him.

"Morning," Harry replied through a yawn. "Are you trying to boil yourself again?"

"There is nothing wrong with liking a warm shower," she replied, as they slid into a conversation they had had on many occasions since they had begun sharing a bathroom.

"Of course there is nothing wrong with a warm shower," he agreed as he used his wand to create a bubble of steam-less air around him and defogging a portion of the mirror. "I like warm showers, I'll even go so far as to say that I enjoy hot showers. I think that most people will agree that there is nothing wrong with a nice warm shower. But you, my love, do not like warm showers, you like _scalding_ showers."

Ginny's laugh echoed against the tiles of the shower making Harry smile as he started to shave. "Just because it's too hot for you to handle…" Ginny trailed off challengingly.

"Oh its not too hot for me to handle," he contradicted, "I just prefer not getting third degree burns from my showers."

"No one is getting burned," Ginny retorted, turning off the water. "Now would you please hand me my towel?"

Harry, who had moved onto brushing his teeth now that he had finished shaving, continued to clean his teeth with one hand while he grabbed Ginny's towel with the other and draped it over the shower stall door. He watched until the towel disappeared before he crossed back over to the sink.

Spitting into the sink and quickly rinsing his mouth, he looked back into the mirror to see Ginny standing behind him watching his reflection in the glass. She was wrapped in her favorite oversized fluffy white towel, her hair practically burgundy in color from being wet and curling at the bottom where water droplets dripped off the tips making trails down her freshly clean back, arms and chest, until they were either absorbed by her towel or they fell to the floor. His eyes continued to roam up an down her reflection as he took in all of this before he turned around to face the real thing.

"How can you say the that the water isn't too hot? Look at your skin," he accused gently, bringing his right hand up to cup the left side of her face. And he was right, her normally porcelain skin was an angry, practically swollen, red.

Never breaking eye contact, he trailed his fingertips from her temple to her cheek and down her slender neck, they brushed lightly against the freckles that dusted her shoulders until they switched directions an made their way along her clavicle and down her chest until he was running his fingers along the edge of the terry cloth. He felt rather than saw Ginny shudder as a chill ran down her spine and goosebumps raised along her skin. Harry knew that this could have been caused by the water cooling on her tender, heat abused skin, but as he watched her half hooded eyes, he smiled knowing that it was his touch that caused her physiological reaction. Dropping his hand to his side he chuckled as Ginny groaned lightly at the loss of physical contact.

"As tempting as you are, standing there in a towel all clean and pink, I need to hop in the shower as well and you need to get ready if we're going to get to the Burrow on time."

Ginny sighed, knowing that Harry was right. "Fine, but only because I don't want to be last ones to arrive like we were at Hermione's birthday," she said, referring to a couple months back when they had lost track of time and arrived at her birthday party an hour and half late looking quite rumpled. None of her brothers let them live it down for the rest of the night and they were still teased about it on a regular basis. "But that doesn't mean I'm not going to make you finish what you started when we get home tonight," Ginny said nonchalantly as she ran a comb through her wet hair.

"I think that could be arranged," Harry replied just as casually.

"In fact, I think I'm going to need another shower tonight, an perhaps I might not object to some company," she mentioned. "I might even be persuaded to turn down the temperature a little bit."

"A lot a bit," Harry countered as he stripped off his pajamas and stepped into the shower.

"A medium bit," she bargained.

"Deal."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So when are you two going to get married?" Molly asked unceremoniously.

"Mum! We've only been together for five months," Ginny admonished.

Ginny was currently sitting with her mother, Hermione, and Angelina as the whole extended family sat around in small groups visiting after finishing the large brunch Molly had made.

"Well you two would have been together for years if you hadn't been so blind," Hermione added teasingly, to her best friend's irritation.

"Well we were and we haven't so we wont be getting married for a while yet," Ginny replied mainly to her mother. "We are just enjoying being together right now, we haven't even discussed marriage."

"Well you two are already living together so–"

"Mum..." Ginny interrupted warningly.

Even though her mother hadn't thrown a fit like she did when she had moved in with Mauricio, Molly still started to grumble indignantly about the impropriety of them living together out of wedlock and talking about how in her day it wasn't even proper for men and women to even together in that sense until after the wedding. That was until Ginny pointed out that it would be very unlikely that Bill could have been premature and weigh almost ten pounds at birth.

"Are they giving you a hard time?" Harry asked as he slid up behind his girlfriend, resting his hands on her shoulders and leaning forward so he could place a kiss on her cheek.

"My mother is just trying to slap that old ball and chain onto my ankle," Ginny joked.

"Well I hope she's not trying to attach you to that guy you're dating now," he replied worriedly, "Cause I hear he's a total prat and not very good looking either. I think you could do better."

"Aww, well I think he's a pretty nice guy," Ginny replied, "and besides, looks aren't _everything_. But you're right, I probably could do better."

Harry stumbled back a few paces, clutching his hands to his chest dramatically. "Oh how you wound my heart my darling!"

"No," she retorted, turning around so that she was kneeling on the seat facing him, "just your ego."

"Oh you cruel, cruel, woman. And you know that I suffer from low self-esteem."

Ginny simply scoffed at his theatrics and rolled her eyes, extending a hand to draw him back to her.

"Have I told you lately that you're ridiculous?" Ginny asked, fondly flicking the white puff ball that was hanging from the end of the Father Christmas hat he was wearing.

"And have I told you lately that I adore you?" he countered, slipping an arm around her lower back, pulling her so that she was pressed up against the back of the sofa, so that he could kiss her quickly.

Once he released her, she sat back on her heels and stuck out her tongue obstinately.

"See," Harry said to Molly, pointing at her only daughter, "she is still much too immature to be a wife and mother. But I promise to make an honest woman of her yet Mum."

Before anyone could respond he winked and whisked away to where the twins were calling his name over by the fireplace. But Ginny was happy to notice that her mother seemed so pleased with Harry's use of the maternal endearment, that she seemed willing to let the topic drop for the moment.

"So," Hermione asked helping the change of topic along, "does Harry have any idea what you made him?"

"Nope," Ginny replied with a smile. "He was a very good boy and didn't peak once."

"How do you know?" Angelina asked.

"Well for one, Harry isn't Fred," Ginny started in a tone that could almost be considered sympathetic. "I can ask Harry not to do something and trust that he actually wont do it." Ginny paused as a mischievous smile grew on her face. "Also his hair never turned red and green like it would have if he had opened the door to the study."

The circle of women all had a good laugh at this until they were started by a loud bang on the other side of the room causing them all to search for the source of the commotion. Ironically, but not surprisingly, it had come from the corner where the twins were standing with Harry. It seemed that trust levels had been misjudged, in that Harry trusted the miss-trustworthy twins. As a result Harry looked like he had been in a red glitter explosion. Ginny was the first person to break the stunned silence with her laughter, but the rest of her family and even Harry himself quickly followed.

"Ow," Harry said suddenly, his laughter coming to a halt. "Ow!" he exclaimed again ending everyone else laughter as well.

"What did you do to him?!" Molly asked smacking the twins on the back of their heads.

"We didn't do anything to him," Fred replied incredulously.

"Ow ow ow ow ow ow…" Harry continued as he clutched his right eye.

"Well you did something to him," Molly continued to scold.

"Seriously Mum, it was just regular glitter The only thing we did to it was make it so you cant magic it off," George insisted, looking uncharacteristically concerned at Harry's reaction.

Meanwhile Ginny walked over to her boyfriend and was gently prying his hands his hands away from his face. With his wild blinking and watering eye, it didn't take long to figure out what was wrong with him.

"Relax, you've just got glitter in your eye. You're acting like you eye is about to fall out of you're head," Ginny teased.

"But it hurts," he whined as he continued to blink.

"Stop blinking for a second," she ordered. "Oh come here," she commanded with a sigh as his eyelids continued to flutter. As he leaned over she grabbed his head and used her thumb to hold his glitter encrusted eyelid open. "Look down…look left…look right….look up…Hah! Don't move," she warned as she reached out to remove the offending object from his eye. "Better?"

Harry blinked a few more times before speaking, "Much, thank you Peanut."

At this the twins both stood and began applauding wildly.

"All hail Ginny! Eliminator of optical obstructions," George cheered.

"The savior of sight!" Fred added.

"The remover if renegade glitter!" George continued.

"The destroyer of - ouch!"

This time it was Ginny's turn to smack her brothers.

"Come on Harry, lets get you cleaned up before it happens again," she said, grabbing her boyfriends hand and leading him up to the bathroom leaving a sparkly trail in their wake.

They could hear the chatter that had died down after the glitter explosion start back up as they made their way upstairs.

"Okay," Ginny said once they had reached the bathroom and closed the door behind them, "take off your clothes."

Harry gave her look that she might have called lecherous had he not been looked like one of those shoes from that movie she watched with Hermione. "I like it when you're all authoritarian like that, and here I thought we were going to wait until tonight to finish what we started."

Ginny simply raised an eyebrow while she attempted to suppress a grin. "Shut up and start stripping."

"Yes ma'am!" Harry replied enthusiastically as he peeled off his sweater and jeans, leaving them inside out to better contain the glitter.

Ginny snatched a washcloth from underneath the sink and hopped lightly onto the counter motioning for Harry to come towards her. As he settled between her legs she began to carefully clear away the glitter. Harry watched her as she worked with the efficiency and concentration of the healer she was becoming, her touch was gentle but firm as she worked to remove the flitter making sure to keep is away from his eyes.

Her hand stilled and their eyes met when she felt the intensity of his gaze.

"What?" she asked feeling suddenly self conscious.

"You're amazing," he told her. "You know that?"

"All I'm doing is getting rid of some glitter," she said teasingly, "surely that's not all that amazing."

"No," he insisted, "you're amazing."

He leaned forward closing the little space that remained between them and kissed her gently. He made to deepen the kiss and was surprised when instead of responding, she pulled away.

"Harry!" she exclaimed unhappily as she twisted around to look at her reflection in the mirror. "You got glitter all over me!"

Harry was far from apologetic and responded by dropping his head and running his hands vigorously through his hair making a shower of red glitter rain down onto Ginny's lap. She squealed and tried to either push him away or at least hop of the counter, but his much larger frame prevented her from doing either. He eventually stopped, laughing even harder when he saw her pouting.

"I hate you," she declared, crossing her arms in front of her chest indignantly.

"I know," he replied with a smile as he flicked a piece of red glitter off the tip of her nose.

It didn't take them too much longer to get cleaned up the best they could.

"Come on," Ginny said, hopping of the counter, "let's run home really quick so we can get changed since you cant spend the rest of the day in your boxers and undershirt and you got red glitter all over my new sweater and…"

Ginny trailed off as she struggled with the doorknob and found it didn't want to turn.

"Is it locked?" Harry asked looking over her shoulder.

"Of course its not locked," Ginny snapped as she continued to struggle with the door. "I'm not an idiot."

"I never said you were," Harry placated. "Here let me try," he said as he switched spots with his girlfriend and attempted to open the bathroom door. "It's stuck," he announced after pulling on the know a couple times.

"I could have told you that," she said irritably as she closed the lid of the toilet and sat down heavily putting her head in her hands.

Harry pounded on the door a couple times and called out for help.

"They're not going to be able to hear you," Ginny muttered. "My old room is next door and everybody showering in the morning used to wake me up, so Dad put a permanent silencing charm on the room. Sound can get in but it cant get out."

"Well then I'll just take the spell down," he said confidently as he reached for his wand. He paused when he realized when he wasn't wearing his pants and reached for his pile of clothes. "Peanut?" he asked when he didn't find it, "Do you have your wand? I must have dropped mine down stairs when I got hit with the glitter."

"Mine's in my purse," she groaned. "These pants don't have pockets."

"Well that's ironic," Harry murmured to himself since it was rare that either of them were without their wand, let alone both of them at once. "Well maybe I can just kick the door down and then just fix it later."

"Good luck with that," she said sarcastically. "With all the explosions that the twins have set off over the years, there are so many spells and enchantments on these walls that I think the Burrow is practically indestructible."

Harry sighed as he tugged on the handle a couple more times, putting all his weight behind it. It just wasn't budging. Without magic, they were just going to have to wait for someone to come rescue them. He turned around to tell Ginny this and was surprised to find her hyperventilating.

"Whoa Ginny, what's wrong?" he asked knelling down in front of her.

"We're never going to get out of here!" she cried as her breathing continued to speed.

"Calm down babe, I think you're freaking out a little prematurely. We are in a house full of people, someone is going to need to use the loo eventually."

"And they'll use the one downstairs," she replied fatalistically.

"Why are you panicking?" he asked. "We have been in here for half an hour and you've been fine."

"That was when I knew I could leave if I wanted to," she exclaimed.

Harry became even more concerned when he saw her eyes start to go glassy. "Ginny, you really need to calm down," he ordered authoritatively, knowing she was about to pass out if she didn't stop hyperventilating.

"Look at me," he commanded, his tone leaving no room for disagreement as she did what he said. "Now breathe with me," he told her taking a deep breath in through his nose and holding it for a moment before letting it out through his mouth.

She followed his lead and after a few minutes of this she had calmed down enough to speak rationally.

"Are you alright?" he asked gently tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Now I am," she replied. "I don't know what happened to me. I've never been claustrophobic before," she continued sheepishly.

"It happens to everyone once in a while," he said consolingly. "Trust me I know. I spent the first eleven years of my life living in a cupboard. Most of the time I was fine, it was actually my safe haven, but sometimes when I would hear the lock latch shut and I knew I was locked in the dark for I didn't know how long, it would all be to much and I would panic like you just did."

Harry didn't speak about his pre-Hogwarts years very often, not wanting anyone's pity and not really wanting to think about it himself. Ron and Hermione knew the gist of it, but Ginny knew more than anyone else. And while she loved the fact that he trusted her enough to reveal his not so pleasant memories oh his childhood, it always broke her heart to think of a young Harry being abused the way that he was.

"So," Ginny said wanting to move to a more cheery topic of conversation. "I was at work the other day and Dr. Sean was telling me a story about a patient where…" she began settling in for some one on one time.

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A/N So what did you think? Will poor Harry and Ginny ever get out of the bathroom? Will they get to exchange Christmas presents? Will we find out what Ron eventually got Hermione for Christmas? Will the author ever admit that she once got locked in a bathroom with a broken handle when she was home alone for 2 hours before her brother came home to get her out? Leave a review and you might find out! Lol…. 


	35. Bathrooms Part 2

A/N I know I haven't updated this story since April but contrary to popular belief I have not in fact died… I just got rather side tracked by other stories I've been writing in another fandom and my Harry Potter stuff kinda fell by the wayside bows my head in shame…. and then there was drama over at mugglenet as always and generally I like to update everything at the same time...

I should probably announce this again, but this story was started a million years ago before even HBP let alone DH so it is very very AU after OotP…. So yeah, just keep that in mind….

* * *

"Erm, Harry?" Ginny began tentatively. 

"Yes dear?"

"I have to pee," she informed him sheepishly.

"Well then, it's a good thing that we are stuck in the loo then isn't it," Harry joked.

"I can't go while you're in here," Ginny replied as if just the thought of it was scandalous.

"Why not?"

"Well, because…I just can't," she repeated.

"But it's not like we haven't been living together and sharing a bathroom for months," Harry pointed out. "Hell, we even planned to shower together tonight."

"This is different," the red head insisted.

"Then I don't know what to tell you," he shrugged. "I can't exactly leave right now so you're just going to have to hold it."

"I can't hold it," she told him with a desperate look in her eyes, "I've been holding it."

"Well what do you want me to do?" Harry asked slightly annoyed, being locked in the bathroom for so long getting to him.

"Um, would you mind going in the shower and closing the curtain?" Ginny asked meekly after thinking about for a moment.

"Fine," Harry sighed pulling himself off the floor.

"Thanks, Harry."

"Well are you going to go?" Harry asked after he had been standing in the shower for a few minutes.

"I can't."

"Why?"

"I can't go when I know your listening," she explained as if this was obvious.

"Merlin's nightgown!" Harry exclaimed exasperatedly. "I can't help it that I have ears."

"Well don't get mad at me," Ginny snapped back, "I can't help it either."

"How did you manage to share a bathroom at Hogwarts for so many years?" he asked from behind the curtain.

"I dunno," she replied unhelpfully. "Shut your ears and sing," she commanded after a moment of thinking.

"What?" he asked not believing that he had heard her correctly.

"I told you to shut your ears and sing."

"That's what I thought you said."

"Please?"

"Fine," he relented. He sat down in the tub lying back to get comfortable, shut his eyes and started to sing.

Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer  
had a very shiny nose.  
And if you ever saw him,  
you would even say it glows.

_All of the other reindeer  
used to laugh and call him names.  
They never let poor Rudolph  
join in any reindeer games._

_Then one foggy Christmas Eve  
Santa came to say:  
"Rudolph with your nose so bright,  
won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"_

He was still singing when she had finished washing her hands and had crossed over to the tub and was peaking around the shower curtain. She had to stifle a laugh at the picture he made lying down in the tub in his boxers and a tee shirt with excess glitter still clinging to him, eyes shut and hands over his ears as he sang the song that he had been forced to sing a few days before. He had really gotten into the song and was now doing some strange sort of wiggly of dance.

_Then all the reindeer loved him  
as they shouted out with glee,  
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer,  
you'll go down in history_!

Ginny applauded as he drew out the last word, making him open his eyes.

"I think you may have missed your calling," she teased as he reddened as being caught,

"Hey," he replied defensively. "Don't make fun of me for doing you a favor."

"You're right," she agreed, still struggling not to laugh as she delicately stepped into the tub, " And thank you by the way."

"You're welcome," he replied shifting to make more room for her in the tub as she lay down, half on top of him, her head resting on his chest.

"You know," she said after a few moments, "This is kinda nice."

"What is? Spending Christmas Eve trapped in the bathroom of your parents house."

"Not that exactly, but the result isn't half bad," she said as she snuggled closer. "When you really think about it, we don't spend that much time together lately."

"Ginny, we live together," he laughed. "I don't know if we can spend much more time together."

"We're physically in the same space a lot, but not like this, not without any distractions or things to do. Between your practices and business deals, and my school or work at the hospital, and all the other multitudes of things we have to do as part of our daily lives, we don't have a whole lot of down time," she explained.

Harry considered this for a moment. "You know, I think you're right. We should get locked in bathrooms more often."

Ginny laughed, "Maybe you're right."

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Harry and Ginny were doubly surprised when they woke up to someone swearing. Initially, for the fact that they were waking up at all, since they had never intended to fall asleep, and again due to the fact that someone else was in the bathroom.

"You kiss our mother with that mouth?" Ginny asked sleepily as she pushed the curtain aside to reveal Charlie trying desperately to open the door.

Her second oldest brother gave a startled sort of yelp as he turned quickly on his heel.

"Have you two been in here the whole time?" he asked once he saw both Harry and Ginny in the bathtub.

"No we just Apparated in, oh except for those pesky anti-Apparation wards Mum had Dad put up after she got tired of the twins popping up right behind her and scaring her," Ginny replied sarcastically. "And you're not going to get that door open either. Trust us, we've tried."

"Everybody has been wondering where you two have been. We thought that you two went home to…" Charlie trailed off and cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Augh!" Ginny exclaimed at the idea of her whole family, including her parents coming to that conclusion. "Charlie, it's Christmas Eve!"

"Well what did you expect us to think?" he replied. "You two have been missing for five hours!"

"And nobody thought to look for us?" Harry asked, blinking sleepily as he peered out from behind Ginny's shoulder.

"Well no one wanted to interrupt," Charlie defended. "No one has forgotten your welcome home party this summer."

Charlie then had to duck the bar of soap that was careening towards his head.

"Please just tell me that you have your wand so we can get out of here," Harry said ignoring the flying cleansers.

Charlie quickly pat down his pockets, looking sheepish when he came up empty.

Harry groaned audibly. "Why does no one in your family carry their wands?"

"You don't have yours either," Ginny retorted.

"I would if _your_ brothers hadn't felt the need to hit me with a glitter bomb," Harry returned.

"Well if you hadn't gotten hit with that glitter bomb, then we wouldn't have come up here to get you cleaned off, and then we wouldn't have gotten locked in here and then this argument wouldn't be happening and it would all be irrelevant," Ginny countered.

Harry and Charlie exchanged a glance, both confused by Ginny's circular logic.

"Riiight…"

"At least we shouldn't be in here too much longer before someone comes looking for me," Charlie said reassuringly.

"Yeah, that's what we thought too, _five hours ago_" Ginny exclaimed. "What makes you think you're so special dragon boy?"

"Because I'm in the middle of a chess game with Ron," Charlie explained, "and I guarantee you that he will come looking for his partner once he finishes his turn."

Harry and Ginny sighed simultaneously. Both of them all to aware of how long Ron could take to take his turn, especially if his opponent wasn't sitting across from him, nagging him to just make a move.

"Hey, Harry," Ginny said wearily, climbing out of the tub and sitting on the ledge.

"What love?"

"Wanna play twenty questions?"

"Are you a man?" he asked rolling his eyes, but beginning the game just the same.

"No."

"Are you alive?"

"Yes."

"Are you famous?"

"In a fashion."

"Do I know you personally?"

"Unfortunately," she said with a look of distaste.

"Are you a brunette?"

"No."

"Are you a blonde?"

"Yes."

"Are you a vapid blonde?"

"Yes," Ginny said smiling, knowing that he had gotten it.

"Are you a vapid blonde Floo heiress with the inability to get anyone's name right?"

"You got it!"

"Too easy," Harry laughed. "My turn."

"Are you a man?" Ginny asked.

"Did you ever have any doubt?" Harry returned with a suggestively raised eyebrow.

Ginny smacked his chest lightly, "Are you Merlin?"

Harry looked at Ginny in surprise, "How did you know?"

Ginny just smiled smugly, "I know all…" she said waggling her fingers mysteriously in front of his face. "Anyways your turn Charlie."

"Alright," Charlie said after thinking for a moment, "this one is for you Harry."

"Are you a man?" Harry asked.

"Yes."

"Are you alive?"

"Last time I heard."

"Are you older than forty?"

"No."

"Are you around my age?"

"Yes, that would be an accurate assumption."

Ginny had to hide her smile as she realized who Charlie was.

"Are you famous?"

"Yes."

"Do I know you personally?"

"I'm fairly sure that you do," Charlie answered with a smirk.

"Are you a musician?"

"Not that I am aware of."

"Are you a Quidditch player?"

"Yes."

"Are you a Seeker?"

"Yes," Charlie said smiling, figuring he had gotten it.

"Are you Giona?" Harry asked his countenance darkening.

"No," Ginny laughed, "you prat, he's you!"

Harry looked at Charlie for confirmation, who laughed and nodded.

"Oh…"

They continued to play the game for several more rounds wherein the occupants of the bathroom were Umbridge, Snape, A dementor (which sparked much debate as to whether the creatures even had assigned genders), Voldemort, Lockhart, Celestina Warbeck, and Rita Skeeter.

Ginny had just concluded that Charlie was in fact Llewellyn "Dangerous" Dai, when all three of them froze when the door knob began to turn. Harry was the first one to react and the door wasn't even open all of the way before Harry made a rather impressive leap across the bathroom and all but tackled the person on the other side to make sure they didn't close the door. Ron, who was surprised to say the least to see his best friend flying at him, gave a startled yelp as he stumbled backwards and fell on the floor, Harry landing on top of him.

"Ron," Harry said seriously, "I could kiss you right now."

"Please don't," the redhead replied. "And please get off of me."

"Air!" Ginny cried scrambling out of the bathroom and over her boyfriend and brother. "Sweet sweet air!"

Charlie meanwhile extended a hand to Harry and Ron to help them up.

"Wait," Ron asked completely befuddled. "Why were the three of you in the bathroom?"

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Down in the living room of the Burrow, after the situation in the bathroom had been explained and thoroughly laughed at Harry and Ginny had gone home quickly to change into non-glittery clothing. Once they came back, the whole Weasley clan gathered around the Christmas tree in preparation to exchange gifts. As was tradition, everyone took turns opening presents starting with the youngest member of the family, this year being four month old Michelle, and ending with Arthur.

Once the toddlers had opened their gifts and were now content to sit in front of the fire and play with their new toys, Ginny, the youngest of the adults began opening her gifts. Waiting until she had finished opening the multitude of packages from her brothers and their spouses, Harry handed her a flat square box. This wasn't the only thing he had gotten her but they had decided to do the majority of their gift exchange privately on Christmas morning and just bring their 'big' gift to the Burrow.

Ginny carefully unstuck the cellotape from the light blue paper with actual falling snowflakes and revealed a burgundy velvet box. Opening the lid, her jaw dropped when she saw the exquisite sapphire and diamond pendent on the white gold chain, flanked by matching earrings.

"Oh Harry," she breathed, "they're gorgeous."

"I thought they would look nice with the dress you got for the hospital's New Years Eve party," Harry explained.

"They're perfect," she assured him, leaning over to give him a quick kiss. "Thank you so much."

"You're very much welcome," he replied pleased that she liked them.

"But how did you know what my dress would look like?" she asked curiously. "I only got it a couple days ago and you went shopping with Ron way before that."

"Here Harry you're next, why don't you open the one from me and Hermione," Ron, who was the only one who knew about Harry's hoard of gifts, quickly interjected.

Harry who was grateful for the save gave Ron a thankful glance and began opening his gifts.

"My turn!" Ginny exclaimed excitedly once Harry had finished opening the rest of his gifts.

Harry quickly ripped off the paper to uncover a scrap book with in Ginny's neat script written across the cover.

"What's this?" he asked curiously opening the first page.

"I went back through all the old Witch Weekly's and Daily Prophets, with Hermione help of course, and found all the articles about us," Ginny explained as she looked over her shoulder.

Harry opened the book to a random page about a quarter of the way in and smiled immediately when he recognized the picture. It was a picture of the two of them sitting at an out door café in London at the end of the summer after he had graduated Hogwarts and right before Ginny's seventh year. Teenage picture Harry was just sitting at the table, but teenage picture Ginny had pushed her chair back from the table and was leaning back with both hands on her slightly but visibly rounded stomach. After looking at the picture for a moment his eyes traveled down to the article that had ran originally in Witch Weekly.

**_IS POTTER GOING TO BE A PAPA?_**

On a recent excursion into the heart of Muggle London, Harry Potter was spotted lunching with Ginny Weasley who celebrated her seventeenth birthday just two weeks ago, after an afternoon of shopping at Diagon Alley, reportedly for Ginny's school supplies for her final year of Hogwarts. But this reporter can't help but wonder how Ms. Weasley plans to finish her final year of schooling. Even though Potter, who was recently signed to a two million galleon four year contract as Seeker for Puddlemere United, has repeatedly refuted any claims that his relationship with the young redhead is anything more than strictly platonic, a source close to the man-who-won reports that the practically inseparable duo is about to become a trio with the addition of a baby witch or wizard. These claims are supported by a picture taken on August 29th in which there is a defined bump beneath Ginny's shirt which one expert estimates as indicative as four months into a pregnancy.

_But what does this mean for one of the wizarding world's most watched non-couple? Some believe that the pair has just been waiting until Ginny came of age before going public with their relationship and now that she is seventeen a proposal and a family is not far behind. There are also rumors that the couple is hiding the pregnancy even from Ginny's family as Harry would no longer be welcome in the Weasley household…._

The article continued, but Harry's eyes jumped to the bottom half of the page where Ginny had pasted a napkin with the café's logo on it and next to it where she had written a short paragraph.

I was most definitely not pregnant, although my brothers would have undoubtedly finished what Voldemort started if I had been. However this was the day you learned better than to challenge me to an eating contest as I will do whatever it takes to win, even if that means I have to eat so much, that one "expert" estimates me at being four months pregnant. After this picture was taken you then had to roll me home as I was much too full to walk.

"I had totally forgotten about that day," Harry said with a reminiscent laugh.

"I know," Ginny agreed, placing her chin on his shoulder so that she could read over his shoulder. "There was a lot of stuff I had forgotten about until I started working on the book."

"Well I love it," he said placing the scrapbook in his lap so that he could give Ginny a quick kiss. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," she replied softly as Charlie handed Ron his first gift. "I love you."

"I love you too," Harry replied with a content smile before picking his present back up.

Harry was so absorbed in the book that he missed Ron opening his gifts all together and only looked up to see Hermione opening a large box from her husband.

"A foot bath?" Hermione said looking at her husband curiously.

"Oh, Ron," Harry said lowly to his friend with a cringe, "what did I tell you-"

"I couldn't think of anything else," Ron returned under his breath, still smiling at his wife.

"It's perfect!" Hermione exclaimed excitedly leaning over to give her husband a kiss. "This is so thoughtful of you, you know how badly my feet have been hurting. Thank you."

Penelope looked over Hermione's shoulder to read all about the different massaging jet settings. "I would have killed for one of those when I was pregnant. Especially with Parker because I retained so much water."

"Absolutely," Mrs. Weasley agreed. "I would have gladly traded one of the twins for one of those when I was pregnant with Ginny. It's miserable being nine months along in August."

"Hey!" Fred and George exclaimed in unison.

Harry watched the exchange, his expression of slight superiority in gift giving department changing to confusion at the positive response the footbath received. Ron, meanwhile, looked equally stunned, but also highly pleased with himself.

"That's really nice Hermione," Ginny added to the conversation. "I wouldn't mind one of those after being on my feet all day at the hospital. I'll have to come over and use it sometimes."

"You go take your necklace and sit in the corner, leave me and my footbath alone," Hermione only half joked already envisioning relaxing with her swollen feet in a warm bath with the jets on high.

"Maybe I should have gotten Ginny a foot bath too," Harry whispered to his best friend.

"Maybe," Ron whispered back.

The pair looked at each other and shrugged. They never would understand the women they loved.

* * *

A/N So there it is finally…. Also I officially give up on updating at Mugglenet… I may or may not change my mind later, but for now, look for my stories here only…. I can't deal with their bullshit anymore… the next chapter is about 70 percent done so hopefully it will be done fairly soon… 


	36. Deliveries Part 1

A/N So finally here is the next chapter…. Thank you to everyone who is still sticking with this story :D okay, I don't say this often, but I really enjoy this chapter….the following is the result of being exhausted at four in the morning, but that last caramel macchiato is still keeping me awake….I hope you enjoy it as much as I do….

* * *

"Something about this doesn't quite seem fair," Harry mentioned as he stepped out of the kitchen wiping the flour on his hands onto the apron he was wearing.

"What doesn't?" Ginny asked, looking up from where she was lying on the couch reading a magazine.

"That," he said, pointing to the vacuum that she had charmed to hoover the rug.

"What about it?" she asked, honestly not knowing what he was getting at.

"Well the deal was that I do all the cooking if you do all the cleaning, but you get to just charm the appliances to do all the work and scorgify things once in a while, while I make all our meals from scratch the Muggle way," he pointed out with his hands on his hips in what Ginny felt was the most adorable way.

"We've had this deal since I moved in here - well its half way through February and I moved in last May- " she muttered to herself as she calculated the months in her head, "nine and a half months ago, and this is just bothering you now?"

"No...yes...well maybe, I don't know."

"Is this because Ron and Hermione are coming over?" Ginny asked since the other couple was coming over to share an early Valentine's Day with them. "It's only two extra people, well three technically."

"With the way Ron always eats and the way Hermione is eating lately its more like six," Harry mentioned.

"Well you could cook magically if you wanted too," she pointed out before remembering, "Oh wait, I forgot...the stroganoff."

"I'm telling you that could have happened to anyone," he interjected.

"Well, I would offer to cook, but you've tried my cooking, I can manage to screw up toast. You would think growing up with my mother something would have stuck," she mused as she swung her feet off the couch and walked over to him. "But alas, the only things I can make are snickerdoodles and since saviors of the world can't live on snickerdoodlely goodness alone, I suppose that if you don't want to starve, you're going to have to keep cooking," she told him wrapping her arms around his waist and placing a few drawling kisses along his jaw line. "Besides," she said between kisses, "you look so cute in an apron."

"You know," Harry said, closing his eyes and trying to suppress the physical reaction that she was having on him, "sex doesn't fix everything."

"But it sure does make things more fun," she purred against his neck.

Harry couldn't deny that logic as her hands sneaked under his shirt and she raked her fingernails gently down his back causing him to shudder involuntarily.

"Someday this might not work," he warned without any sort of conviction as he pulled her closer.

"I know you Potter, that day isn't coming any time soon," she said running her hands through his hair.

"This isn't getting dinner made," he mentioned in between kisses.

"How about after Ron and Hermione leave, I wash the dishes by hand, no magic involved, just to even the score a bit," she murmured into his ear.

"Sounds fair to me," he agreed huskily, even though washing dishes were the furthest thing from his mind at this point.

"Good," Ginny said cheerfully as she pulled away, sat back down on the couch and picked up her magazine where she left off.

"What!?!" Harry exclaimed desperately.

"Well you're the one that mentioned that that wasn't getting dinner made, and my brother and his darling expecting wife are going to be here in an hour, " she reminded him, hiding her devious smile behind the pages of the magazine.

"Oh no no no mon Cherie, dinner can wait," he said advancing on her, "I'm not letting you get away that easily."

"Oh no, whatever will I do," she replied jumping over the sofa and backing away.

"Oh trust me," Harry told her, "there is no escaping me. You should just give in now."

"Never!" Ginny cried as she turned and ran down the hallway with Harry hot on her heels.

The chase didn't last long as the chaser wanted much too badly to catch the chased and the chased didn't terribly mind the idea of being caught.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Harry was just slipping back into the kitchen while Ginny was retouching her make up when there was a frantic knock on the door. Ginny rushed to open the door, but she barely had time to unlock it before Hermione came barreling through.

"I have to pee!" she cried as she waddled as quickly as she could towards the bathroom. "And Ginny, your shirt is miss-buttoned," she called over her shoulder. "Don't you two ever _not_ have sex?"

Ron and Ginny glanced at each other before quickly turning away and turning matching shades of pink. Even though Ron was happy that Harry and Ginny had finally gotten together and were so in love, he really didn't want to think about his little sister having sex with anyone, least of all with his best mate. Ginny shared his sentiments.

"Um, happy Valentines Day Ginny," Ron said ignoring his wife's comments and giving his sister a kiss on the cheek.

"Happy Valentines," she replied.

"So when is dinner going to be ready? I'm famished," Hermione asked when she came out of the loo, her bladder now empty.

"Actually, it's going to be a bit later than expected," Harry said coming to join them in the living room. "Something came up and I got a bit of a late start."

"Why don't you just say you two had to shag like rabbits," Hermione said as she attacked the bowl of chips and salsa that was put out as an appetizer.

"Hermione!" Ron exclaimed.

"What, it's true," his wife shrugged.

"Just because you haven't been able to have sex since you entered your third trimester, doesn't mean the rest of us can't," Ginny countered.

"Ginny!" Ron cried.

"What, it's true," his sister shrugged.

"Says who," Hermione shot back to the horror of her friends.

"So Hermione," Harry said changing the subject, "do you think you are you going to make it another three weeks till your due date? You look about ready to burst."

"First of all Harry, I'm having a baby not a water balloon," she said testily, "I'm not going to _burst_. And secondly...oh bullocks I have to pee again. Well are to you going to help me up?" she snapped at her husband who was leaning forward to grab another chip.

"Oh course dearest," Ron said with a strained smile. "She's a bit tightly wound right now," Ron explained as soon as he heard the bathroom door latch.

"We noticed," Harry replied.

"The baby has been keeping her up at night, so she hasn't been sleeping," he told them as he yawned and ran a hand through his already rumpled hair.

"And I guess if Hermione doesn't get to sleep you don't either," Ginny mentioned, as she tried to stifle a smile at how bedraggled her brother looked.

"Not so much," Ron replied with a weary grin. "I can't wait until she has the baby and she goes back to normal."

"Guess again big bro," Ginny said clapping him on the shoulder, "her hormones are going to be screwy for months _and_ you'll have a screaming newborn to deal with."

Ron groaned and buried his face in his hands making Harry chuckle.

"I wouldn't be laughing there mate," Ron said looking up, "your turn is coming and then we'll see who has the last laugh."

Harry whipped his head around to find Ginny and looked at her with wide questioning eyes. She looked back with an expression that clearly was asking '_what?_' until it hit her what he was thinking. Her eyes immediately became equally as wide, and looked horrified as she shook her head emphatically in a negative response to his question.

Harry gave a silent sigh of relief before turning back to his best friend. "I think I'll burn that bridge when I get to it."

"What bridge are you planning on burning Harry?" Hermione asked suspiciously, as she reentered the room.

"Nothing, but I had better check on those enchiladas, they should be about done by now," he replied quickly looking down at his wrist before he realized he wasn't even wearing a watch.

"I'll help you," Ginny added quickly when she felt Hermione's penetrating stare land on her.

"I can't believe we have been reduced to hiding in the kitchen of our own home, from our best friend," Harry said with a laugh as he realized the ridiculousness of the situation as he pulled the food out of the oven and took the beans off of the burner.

"I know, but with good cause," Ginny said as she hopped up on the counter. "She has gone completely nutters. She goes from happy, to yelling, to crying in a blink of an eye these days. Last week I went shopping for groceries with her and she started crying when I suggested she pick up some nappies then, you know, incase she went into labor early. At first I thought I had upset her, but then she started blubbing on about how happy she was that I could share that moment with her."

"I didn't realize that purchasing nappies was such a monumental occasion," he joked.

"Neither did I," she concurred. "I didn't dare bring up binkys since I didn't have a camera with me."

Harry crossed over to where she was perched on the counter and took her hands in his as he stood between her legs.

"You're not going to go crazy on me when you're pregnant, are you?" Harry asked, entwining his fingers in hers.

"But where would be the fun in that," she responded. "If I'm doing all the work in carrying _your_ children, I should get to go a little crazy."

"All right, but just a little," he conceded, leaning in closer.

"All right," she agreed, before responding to his kiss.

They could have stayed there quite happily for quite some time all wrapped up in each other, had they not been interrupted by Ron shouts and an explosion coming from the direction of the living room. They pulled apart and looked at each other, Harry having visions of rouge Death Eaters in his living room, while Ginny thought of Hermione cursing her brother for taking the chip she wanted, before they both spurned into action and ran out of the kitchen. What they found made them both stop in their tracks.

Ron was standing pointing his wand at what used to be Harry's favorite recliner, but was now reduced to a large pile of smoldering stuffing, while Hermione was laying on the sofa flipping through the magazine Ginny had been reading earlier.

"What happened in here?" Ginny asked after the shock had worn off.

"Ron saw a spider," Hermione replied without looking up as she turned the page.

"I guess Hermione isn't the only one tightly wound around here," Ginny muttered.

"My chair," Harry whimpered while looking at the mess. "My Italian leather chair."

"It was a big spider," Ron tried to explain.

"But why did you have to kill my chair?" Harry asked.

"There isn't even enough of it left to Reparo back together," Ginny mentioned as she bit her lip to keep from smiling.

"It was a really huge spider," he repeated meekly.

"The chair didn't do anything wrong," Harry said plucking a bit of stuffing off the wall sconce.

"It could have been a baby Acromantula," Ron added.

"But why did my chair have to suffer?"

"I'm sure it didn't," Ginny placated, stifling a laugh, "it looks like it was quick."

"I got it though," Ron mentioned optimistically.

"I assume you are talking about the spider," Ginny said with a snort, "because we can all see you got the chair."

"Yes, I'm talking about the spider," Ron snapped at his sister.

"Well, I wasn't sure," she explained, not even trying to hold back her amusement any more, "because it's hiding in the corner shaking in its little metaphorical spider boots."

Everyone looked to where Ginny was pointing and sure enough, there was a little black spider in the corner, cowering in abject terror.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Ginny said as Ron raised his wand once more, "I like those drapes, I would prefer not to have to replace them."

Taking it upon herself to fix the situation, she hurried over the spider, picked it up and carried to the window and let it go in the flower box, out of Ron's line of sight. Hermione who remained unfazed by all the proceedings finally looked up from the magazine.

"So is dinner ready yet?" she wanted to know.

"Ummm...yeah," Harry finally responded, once he managed to tear his eyes away from what used to be his favorite chair.

They were soon gathered around the dining table, digging into dinner when conversation turned back to the soon to be new arrival.

"So do you think you are having a boy or a girl?" Ginny asked, since Ron and Hermione had decided not to find out the sex of the baby so that they could be surprised.

"I don't know," Hermione replied. "I honestly don't have any feeling one way or the other. Sometimes I think its going to be a boy just because of the Weasley tendency to have all boys, but I think you might have broken that trend for good Ginny. I mean right now we are two and two with the Weasley cousins with Bill's two girls and Percy's two boys."

"Well those odds are going to sway dramatically in a few months," Harry mentioned.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked.

"Haven't you heard?" Harry questioned.

"Heard about what?" Hermione wanted to know.

"Angelina and Fred came by to visit with me yesterday when I was at St. Mungos after her appointment. They found out that they were having boys," Ginny explained.

"Boys, as in plural?" Ron tried to clarify.

"Yup," Harry confirmed.

"So Fred and Angelina are having twins," Hermione processed.

"Nope," Ginny disagreed.

"But you said–"

"I know what I said," Ginny interrupted her brother. "But Angelina isn't having twins, she's having triplets."

"Well multiple births do run in families. Merlin help Angelina," Hermione said.

"Merlin help us all if they turn out anything like their father," Ron added.

Both couples fell silent as they contemplated the idea that there might be _three _of them, and the trouble they could get into as opposed to just the double trouble the twins managed to get into by themselves.

"I'm suddenly very, very grateful that we're only having one," Ron said, looking a little pale.

"Speaking of our one, Ron, its time to go," Hermione announced, pushing her chair back from the table.

"Why?" Ron asked, confused since everyone still seemed to be having a good time.

"Because I am going into labor," Hermione explained calmly, getting to her feet and waddling towards the fireplace.

"What?" her husband asked suddenly looking a little faint.

"I-am-going-into-labor," Hermione repeated a little slower and louder.

"What do we...what do I...what?" Ron managed to stammer.

"I'm having a baby Ronald!" Hermione shouted impatiently.

"But but, it's too early, we're supposed to have another three weeks before the baby is born," Ron panicked. "You can't have the baby yet. We don't even have your overnight bag packed!"

"What do you want me to do Ronald? Hold my knees together until I pack a baaa-oooh Merlin," Hermione gasped reaching out and clutching the mantle above the fireplace as a contraction rippled through her body.

Ginny immediately stepped into Healer mode and took charge of the situation as she rushed over to her sister-in-law and rubbed her back comfortingly. "Ron, babies come early all the time, three weeks is nothing to worry about. Hermione, let's get you to St. Mungo's and settled in the Maternity Ward. You most likely still have quite a while before you're ready to deliver, so once you're settled and while we're waiting, Ron, you can go home and pack a bag for Hermione. Alright? Now calm down and come take your wife to the hospital and we'll be right behind you."

Ron nodded and stepped forward to take Hermione's arm and led her into the fireplace.

Once they were safely on their way Ginny turned to her boyfriend. "Well this was certainly an exciting conclusion to our dinner party."

Harry quickly dropped the dirty dishes into the sink to soak, so they wouldn't be impossible to clean when they got back and then crossed over to his girlfriend and put his arms around her waist dropping a quick kiss on her forehead. "Something tells me that the excitement is just beginning."

Ginny just laughed and draped her arms around his neck, taking a deep breath in preparation for him to Apparate them both to St. Mungos.

Hermione was in labor. Merlin help them all.

* * *

A/N So there we have it… The newest little Weasley is on the way… the fifth of the Weasley cousins.. Anyone have a guess on weather you think its going to be a boy or a girl? The next chapter will include the labor and delivery so let me know what you thought of this one! 


	37. Deliveries Part 2

A/N *Pokes head in and chokes on all the accumulated dust* So… hi? It's been awhile… There are a lot of reasons and explanations for my extended hiatus that I could bore you with, but I figure that if anyone is actually reading this that you've waited long enough so I'll just get right to it.

But first I think we should recap since its been so long coughyearscough since I know I needed one before I started this chapter and I'm the one that wrote the story. So here we go Life Happens in 30 seconds. Or you can go watch the trailer for this fic on youtube, the link is on my profile. Go ahead I'll wait for you here…

RECAP: So our story picks up the summer after OoTP while Harry is dealing with all his teenage angst and guilt over Sirius's death. Ginny reaches out to him through letters and they become penpals and later best friends as Ginny helps prepare Harry for the final battle. Fast forward, Harry's been having precognitive dreams so he knows exactly when the fight is going to go down but doesn't know if he'll live so he writes letters to all his friends including one to Ginny where he pours his heart out to her. He defeats Voldie but it puts him in a 2 month long coma only to wake up and find out that Ginny refused to read his letter because that would mean accepting that he wasn't going to wake up, so they remain best friends for Harry's final year at school.

Fast forward again, and Harry decides to forgo becoming an Auror and become a Quidditch star instead and lets the fame and fortune go to his head and dives head first into his new lifestyle, causing him and Ginny to grow apart. They spend the next three years not really talking, Harry dating a whole string of women and Ginny getting engaged to Harry's Quidditch rival Mauricio Giona, until Ron and Hermione's wedding throw them back together in the form of dance lessons.

Once they start talking all the reasons they stopped talking don't seem to matter anymore and they quickly rebuild their friendship. After observing them dancing together at the wedding Mauricio realizes that they love each other and after a big fight breaks up with Ginny. Not knowing where else to go Ginny shows up on Harry's doorstep and she moves in. They spend the summer in France volunteering at a Quidditch camp and one night run into both of their ex's at a night club. They pretend to be together in front of their ex's which leads to much drunken making out which leads them back to the hotel. Before they go any further, Ginny confesses that she can't sleep with Harry because she's in love with him and it would kill her to just be another one of his flings. Harry retrieves the letter he wrote to her before the final battle and she finally reads it learning that Harry has been in love with her all along as well. They're finally together and everyone is happy.

Fast forward one more time, Harry and Ginny have been together for seven months and Ron and Hermione come over for dinner and Hermione goes into labor. They all rush to the hospital and that is where we left off….

Oh goodness I'm nervous... but I hope you enjoy!

* * *

With Ginny's connections in the hospital, Hermione was quickly admitted into a private room on the maternity ward and the Healer in Residence came by to check on her as soon as they were settled.

"Well hello Mrs. Weasley," the Healer greeted brightly as he entered the room pausing to wash his hands at the sink in the corner, right as a contraction rolled over the woman in question. "I heard a rumor we're having a baby tonight."

"This _is_ the maternity ward so it's not exactly a mystery," Hermione ground out as the contraction passed.

The Healer just smiled, not at all affected by her sarcasm, this wasn't his first trip around the block. "I assume you've all checked your wands at the mediwitchs station?" he asked the others as he began a cursory examination.

"Yeah, why'd we have to do that anyways?" Harry asked, never having had any reason to be in a delivery room before.

"Except for potions, this is a magic free ward," Ginny answered, aware of hospital policy even if she didn't really ever have cause to spend time on this particular floor.

"The process of giving birth takes a lot of energy for our mothers and sometimes that manifests itself magically, same with the babes, the event of being born can sometimes trigger their unrestrained magical potential, and if there is magic being cast from an outside source sometimes they can interact in _unexpected _ways," he explained. "So we just err on the side of caution when at all possible."

"Basically crazy shit has been known to happen," Ginny summed up.

"What she said," the Healer grinned as he finished up and took a look at her chart, noting that her contractions were still 12 minutes apart when she was checked in. "Well Mrs. Weasley, it looks like we've still got awhile before it's baby time, so why don't you all just settle in, get comfortable and try to get some sleep while you can. Especially since in your chart it says you've opted for a potion free delivery. It's probably going to be a long night. I have to get going, since we have a full house, it being a full moon and all, but a mediwitch will be in periodically to check on you."

"Settle in he says. Get _comfortable _he says. Try to get some _sleep_," Hermione grumbled once the Healer was gone. "I'd like to see him try to sleep."

"It's good advice Mione, you might not be ready to push until the morning and you don't want to be exhausted," Ginny mentioned, receiving one of Hermione's patented death stares for her troubles.

"What did he mean about the full moon?" Ron asked as he paced the length of the room wringing his hands, not comfortable with anything that had happened since they had arrived at St. Mungos. "What do werewolves have to do with babies?"

Ginny couldn't help but laugh at her brother. "The full moon is the busiest night of the month in the hospital," she explained, as she personally took the healer's advice and claimed the comfy chair by the window. "Especially the emergency ward and labor and delivery. But it has nothing to do with werewolves."

"Oh," was all Ron said as he continued his repetitive trek up and down the length of the room.

"Ronald!" Hermione snapped, her husband's pacing already grating on her nerves. "Weren't you going to pop home and pack a bag for me?" she asked sweetly.

"Right! Packing. I can do that," he said eagerly, thrilled to be given something tangible and constructive to do. "So you're going to need… a jumper?" he ventured a guess.

Hermione inhaled and exhaled slowly, the tension visible in her body as she tried not to yell at her well intentioned husband.

"I'll go with him," Ginny volunteered before Hermione could speak gaining a grateful look from her brother. "I know what you'll need. And while we're at it we'll send word around that we're here to the family."

"Actually…." Hermione started hesitantly. "Do you think Mum would kill us if maybe we didn't… well, that is to say, that we maybe wait until the baby is here before we tell everyone? It's just well, your family is so big and _overwhelming_ sometimes and we don't even know how long were going to be here for and I don't want to inconvenience everyone-" she explained in an apologetic rush.

"Say no more," Ginny cut her off before she could continue, "I understand completely. I'm sure Mum will huff and puff but then she'll be so distracted by her newest grandbaby she won't even care anymore. Now, Harry will keep you company while Ron and I get your things, and we'll be back before you know it," she said decisively, standing up and crossing over to the bed to give her sister-in-law a hug and kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks Ginny," Hermione said gratefully, reaching up to return the hug.

"That's what family's for," she replied waiting for Ron to say goodbye to his wife before they left on their errands.

"So, you're about to be a Mum," Harry said sitting down on the bed by Hermione's hip, once the siblings had left. "Wow."

"I know," Hermione agreed. "I can't hardly believe it myself. I mean I've had nine months to come to terms with the idea of it, and intellectually I know we're having a child. But it's never really sunk in that there was going to be an actual _baby_ going home with us when we leave here."

"You're going to be a great mum," Harry said, giving her belly a rub to say hello to his god-child.

"You really think so Harry?" Hermione asked, suddenly looking very unsure of herself.

"Of course," he assured her confidently. "You've been bossing me and Ron around since we were eleven. If that's not what it takes to be a good mother I don't know what is."

Hermione rolled her eyes at Harry's answer but couldn't help smiling all the same. At least until another contraction swept over her body. "Ohhhhhh…."

"What can I do?" Harry asked a panicked glint in his eye wondering why he was left alone with the woman in labor and not her husband who was responsible for the state she was in, or her sister-in-law who was attending school to be qualified to handle these exact occasions.

"Nothing," she grit out between clenched teeth. "Just, just talk to me."

"Oh umm…" he cast around for a conversation topic. "So have you heard that Puddlemere is looking to do a player swap with-"

"About something _other _than Quidditch!" Hermione snapped.

"Ron and I lied!" Harry confessed desperately. "We didn't put the crib together ourselves, before you got home, we paid the delivery guys to do it for us and then took the credit!"

"What?" Hermione exclaimed through the pain.

"I'm sorry, don't be mad," he practically begged, his eyes wild.

But instead of more yelling like Harry expected, Hermione started laughing as the pain passed.

"Harry, I already knew that," Hermione giggled.

"You knew? Ron told you?"

"No, but I got a clue when the furniture store called me the next day to make sure I was satisfied with their delivery and assembly service," she revealed.

"Oh," Harry frowned. "Why didn't you say something?"

Hermione just shrugged enigmatically.

The pair continued this way for the next hour or so, Harry talking Hermione through her contractions until an unexpected flush of water made them both pause mid sentence.

Hermione's eyes widened to almost comical proportions as she looked at Harry who was looking down at the fluid that was seeping into his trousers.

"Hermione," Harry whispered, "you're my best friend, and I'm not judging, but did you just wet the bed?"

"No you git!" Hermione shouted, smacking his shoulder. "My water just broke!"

Harry didn't say anything for several as he absorbed this new information just what was soaking into his new jeans. "Oh," he said calmly, trying not to let his face visibly show just how icked out he was, his upper lip twitching in his effort to keep it from curling back. He really was not equipped for this sort of thing. "I'm just going to get a mediwitch. See about you getting fresh sheets," he said softly, standing slowly as if he made any sort of loud sound or quick movement, some new fluid was going to come pouring out of his pregnant friend. "And maybe some new pants," he added under his breath.

Stopping at the mediwitch's station to let them know about Hermione's… predicament, he then went off in the search clean pants, figuring that by the time he was cleaned up, Hermione would be too. Now if he could only figure out where his quest should start. He knew there had to be clean clothes somewhere because Ginny came home in different robes than she left home with all the time, usually with terrible stories of what happened to her first set.

He was poking around what appeared to be a linen closet when a voice sounded from behind him.

"Looking for something?"

Whipping around, ready to explain that he really wasn't about to steal 50 hospital bottom sheets, he instead grinned when he saw his old healer and Ginny's mentor Healer Ravolopologous.

"Hey Dr. Sean," Harry greeted the healer. "What are you doing on this ward?"

"I saw Hermione's name on the admissions list and I popped down to say hello," the older man explained. "What are you doing in linen cupboard?"

"Oh, I'm looking for clean pants."

"Righto…. May I ask why?" Dr. Sean asked confused.

"I was sitting with Hermione and well, her water broke and there were… fluids," Harry explained, his feelings on the matter clearly displayed across his face.

"Well, that explains the damp spot on your trousers then. I was wondering."

"What did you think it was caused by?" Harry countered, his brow furrowed.

"I'm just here to heal," he held his hands up in a gesture of amused surrender. "Not to judge."

"Thanks ever so," Harry deadpanned.

The healer barked a laugh, before walking down the hall, gesturing for his ex-patient to follow him. "Come on mate, let's hunt you down some dry clothes."

Dr. Sean took Harry to the healers' locker room and grabbed a pair of the lime green bottoms that all the healers wore underneath their robes out of the laundry. Harry wasted no time in stripping out of his damp jeans and pulling on the fresh clothing and chucking his soiled jeans into the trash.

"I know you're a famous Quidditch star and everything," the healer said with a bemused grin, "but most people wash and reuse their clothes, instead of just wearing a new set every day."

"What? Oh, no," Harry corrected a bit chagrinned as he looked back at the rather expensive designer jeans he had just thrown away like yesterdays garbage. "I just know I wouldn't be able to wear those again. Even after they had been washed I would _know_ what happened to them."

"Is this a bad time to tell you that far worse has undoubtedly happened to the pair your wearing now?" That was why, after all, that the hospital kept a closet full of spare robes for its healers to change in to at a moments notice.

Harry looked down his legs, and yes while he knew this intellectually, at least he didn't know the specifics. "Ignorance is bliss, mate."

"I never thought I'd see the day that Harry Potter was so squeamish," Dr. Sean said once he stopped laughing. "You best be leaving the healing to Ginny."

"That's the plan."

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Hey honey, sorry we took so long," Ginny said reentering the hospital room, with a couple cups off coffee and Hermione's bag slung over her shoulder. "First I had to talk my brother off the ledge of a panic attack and then Ron couldn't find where Hermione stores their luggage so I had to go home and get some of ours. He's at the mediwitchs station getting a progress report," she said in one breath explaining both their prolonged absence and where her bother was now. "I see Hermione is finally getting some sleep."

"Yeah, she decided against the natural birth after all," Harry commented. "She's sleeping the sleep of the heavily potioned." When he had come back from getting changed, there had been much yelling and the threatening of lives and manhoods until Harry tracked down a Healer to get Hermione some painkillers. After that it hadn't taken long for Hermione to drift off, only rousing when a mediwitch came in to check her progress.

"Turns out the way women have been doing it for millennia is overrated?" she asked with a smirk, having heard her sister-in-law's opinions on the matter more than once over the past couple months. "I'm telling you now, that when it's my turn, I'm going to be all about the potions, what ever the strongest thing that they can give me is, I'm taking it."

"I'll keep that in mind," Harry said with a stupid grin on his face at the idea of Ginny having his children. They weren't anywhere near that stage yet, but he didn't hate the idea of it.

"So what's with the wardrobe change?" she asked having already noticed that he was taking a page out of her usual fashion book.

"Hermione got her baby juice all over my jeans."

"What?" she exclaimed, spitting her coffee half way across the room.

"Her water broke while I was sitting on the bed with her," he explained further.

Ginny held her stomach as she laughed silently as to not wake Hermione up. "Baby juice?" she repeated breathlessly, tears streaming down her face.

"Well I don't bloody know what it's called," Harry replied defensively, not exactly thrilled that his girlfriend was taking so much amusement at his expensive.

"It's amniotic fluid," she informed him, before breaking out into another fit of quiet laughter. "Baby juice. Oh I am telling everyone about that one."

"I really wish you wouldn't," he responded dryly.

"But you know I'm going to anyway," Ginny grinned impishly.

He let out a defeated sigh, "Yeah…."

"So the healer thinks we've probably got another six hours before she's ready," Ron announced reentering the room much Harry's relief.

"Well then it's a good thing I thought to grab our books while I was home," Ginny said pulling hers and Harry's from her purse.

"I don't have a book," Ron said with a frown, when his sister failed to produce one for him as well.

"I told you to get something to pass the time while we were at your flat," she reminded him unsympathetically. "If you didn't listen that's not my problem.

"Oh yeah," he pouted. Looking around the room idly, searching for something to spark his interest, his gaze landed on his best friend. "Hey mate, why'd you change?" he asked curiously, his confusion only growing when his sister practically fell out of her chair laughing and his friend simply turned the page of his book with a huff.

"Here." Ginny tossed Ron a deck of cards that she had picked up from home just for him since she knew her brother well.

They all kept themselves preoccupied with their quiet pursuits while they played the waiting game so that Hermione could get as much sleep as possible until she woke up on her own a few hours later.

"Oh I think my potion is wearing off," Hermione groaned as the pain of a contraction jarred her up from her nap.

"When did you have a potion?" Ron asked for the first time, not seemingly having found it strange that his wife had neither mentioned nor complained about the pain in hours especially considering how vocal she had been about it when they had first arrived at the hospital.

"While you and Ginny where gone."

"But I thought we decided on a natural birth?" Ron made of the mistake of asking. An error he realized when he saw the death glare his wife was leveling him with.

"Then you can have a natural birth when you deliver the next one," Hermione said tightly as another contraction ripped through her body. "I really want another potion," she breathed. "The last one was so nice."

"It depends on how close you are to delivering," Ginny told her sister-in-law. "You need to able to feel the contractions so you know when to push."

"I want to push now," Hermione moaned.

"I know 'Mione," Ginny said sympathetically, walking over to her friend's side. "But soon enough you can and then this will all be over with."

"No, really," the older girl replied. "I feel like I need to push."

Ginny's brow furrowed, the last time the mediwitch had come in to check on her about an hour ago she had said that Hermione still probably had a bit to go before she moved into transitional labor.

"Do you mind if I check on you?" the redhead asked nodding towards her legs.

Hermione sighed in defeat. "Why not, everyone else and their mother has already been down there tonight."

Peaking underneath the sheet Ginny gasped and quickly reemerged. "Hermione, what ever you do, do **not** push. I'll be right back," she said already heading to the door. "In fact why don't you just keep your knees together." She paused again when she hit the hallway and poked her head back in to add, "Cross them if you want. Just… don't push." And with that she was gone.

Ginny was gone for awhile considering her urgent departure and her insistence that Hermione not even think about pushing, leaving the trio plenty of time to panic over Healer-In-Training's reaction. Finally the red head came back with the mediwitch who had come to check on Hermione's progress the most and neither of them looked terribly happy at the moment. The fact that Ginny had put on Healer's robes over her jeans was also an ominous sign.

"Okay I've got some good news, some bad news and then some more good news," Ginny said with a forced smile. "Good news is that it's baby time and you're ready to push. Bad news is that we were already full moon busy combined with the fact that the knight bus crashed about 20 minutes ago and they're triaging in emergency, there isn't a single available healer in the building, let alone the ward and you don't have enough time to wait for someone to finish up or to page someone from home. But the good news is that I'm going to deliver your baby! Along with the very experienced Mediwitch Janice of course," she added gesturing to the older witch standing next to her.

"What?" Hermione cried as the strongest contraction she'd had yet hit, looking back and forth between the mediwitch and the red head, "You cannot deliver my baby!"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence Mione," Ginny said rolling her eyes. "But your baby is ready to come into the world whether you think so or not."

"You haven't even graduated yet," the brunette pointed out.

"I graduate in three months, I assure you that I am completely capable of delivering your baby," Ginny assured her sister-in-law. "Honestly, with how crazy it is here tonight you're lucky that I haven't already been pulled to work already."

"Yeah I'm feeling really lucky right now," Hermione replied dryly. "Have you ever even delivered a baby by yourself?"

"Well, no," she admitted, "obstetrician isn't my specialty. I'm in diagnostics, a little bit of everything, but we only deal with the interesting and tricky stuff that nobody else can figure out. Pregnancy is routine and boring, we know what's wrong with you and how you got this way."

"There is nothing _wrong_ with me and excuse me if I'm boring you," she said, her voice deceivingly calm. "But pushing something the size of a watermelon through something the size of a grape IS NOT EXACTLY ROUTINE FOR ME!"

"Same here, which is why we're having this discussion," Ginny replied pinching the bridge of her nose.

"You're not really helping," Harry muttered to Ginny as Hermione fumed furiously.

"Yeah I noticed," Ginny muttered back, "but she was the one who said I can't deliver a baby."

"Please just say something encouraging," he requested under his breath.

"But I have seen deliveries and of course I've read all about them," Ginny offered thinking that might make the consummate bookworm feel better.

"You can't learn everything from a book," Hermione spat as another contraction wracked her body.

If she had not been in so much pain, she might have noticed that her husband and two best friends were starring at her in open mouthed shock.

"It must be the pain talking," Harry said to Ron and Ginny, almost as if he was trying to reassure them that Hermione hadn't gone crazy.

"Hermione, dearest," Ron said once the pain of his wife crushing his hand subsided enough so that he was able to speak again. "I'm sure that Ginny will be able to deliver our baby with no problems. And wouldn't it be nice to be able to tell our child that he was delivered by his god mother?"

The idea, having not thought of it herself, brought tears to Hermione's eyes. "Ginny, you _have_ to deliver my baby," she said reaching out for her hand. "Please tell me you will."

"Of course I will Hermione," Ginny said giving her friends hand a reassuring squeeze. Relieved that Ron had finally managed to say something right tonight. "And I promise nothing will go wrong. Besides you do all the work, all I have to do is catch."

"I would appreciate it if you did not refer to my child as if you were talking about a Quaffle," she snapped, her mood switching dramatically once more.

"Who says we deliver this baby!" Ginny said enthusiastically clapping her hands together with an almost desperate smile plastered across her face.

"Are you sure about this?" Harry asked his girlfriend sotto voce.

"Not at all," she replied in the same tone, but keeping the grin. "But there is literally no other option."

"I'm just going to go upstairs for some tea then," Harry said making for the door, having no desire to be in the room for the actual delivery. There was some things that he just did not need to know about his best friend.

"Oh no you don't," Ginny exclaimed halting his progress as she and the mediwitch bustled around prepping everything for delivery and helping Hermione get into position. "I need you here."

Harry turned around doing his deer in headlights impression. "What…why?"

"I need Janice to help me, so I need you and Ron to help hold Hermione's legs," Ginny ordered, in full healer mode.

Hermione moaned. "But I haven't shaved my legs in days!"

"Well let's just forget this whole baby business altogether," Ginny said throwing her hands in the air in defeat. "I simply can't work under these conditions." When Hermione stared at her wide eyed, she giggled. "Relax, Hermione. No one here cares about your stubble." She waited until Ron and Harry took up the positions they were told to and then turned back to her friend. "Go ahead and start pushing when the next contraction hits."

"OWWW!"

"Push for me, Hermione honey," Ginny coached.

"I AM!" she snapped back. "What do you think I'm doing, running for Minister of Magic?"

From where he was pointedly looking at the ceiling, Harry couldn't help but come to Ginny's defense but was careful to keep his voice calm. "She's just trying to help, Hermione."

"Then hand her some of forceps or stay out of it!"

Harry was properly chastened but Ron had to ask, "What are forceps?"

"So not the time Ron," Harry hissed over Hermione's spread legs, quickly diverting his attention back to the ceiling before there was a chance that he might catch a glimpse of something that could not be unseen.

Another contraction hit and Hermione couldn't hold back the scream while she pushed.

"You're doing brilliantly Mione," Ginny encouraged as they continued the cycle. "You're almost there. Just a few more and you'll be holding your baby."

"Just keep breathing," Ron attempted to be encouraging, but he knew he should have kept his mouth shut when the look on her face made him really glad that they had had to check their wands when they arrived.

"I AM, you utter git!" she ground out. "Like I'd just STOP?" She would have kept yelling but another strong contraction required her full concentration.

"Keep going Hermione!" Ginny cheered excitedly, "The baby's crowning."

Now when Harry heard that there was absolutely nothing that could convince him to stop counting ceiling tiles, but apparently Ron didn't feel the same way and made the mistake of looking down.

KA-THUNK!

"What the hell was that?" All thoughts of pushing and pain fled as Hermione sat up straight to find the source of the loud noise.

"Your husband fainted," the heretofore silent Janice announced. "It happens all the time with Dads. Don't worry about him, you just concentrate on pushing dear."

"HE WHAT? No! I'm not pushing anything. Not until someone wakes him up."

"Hermione, there isn't time," Ginny said incredulously. "This baby is coming whether Ron is conscious or not."

"No absolutely not! I will push this baby back in if I have to. I'm not doing a damn thing until he's awake!"

"For Merlin's sake," Harry muttered, deciding to take matters into his own hands. Being careful not to look at what was happening between his best friend's legs, he walked around the bed to where Ron was splayed out on the floor. Crouching down he slapped Ron across the face, hard.

Ron came to flailing. "Arghh! What the... bloody hell?" He felt arms hauling him up off the floor as he shook his head, trying to make sense of where he was until he was plopped into a chair by Hermione's head. Rubbing the goose egg that was forming on the back of his head, he asked, "What happened?"

"You thought you could get out of this by passing out on me, that's wha-ow-OW-AAAHHHHHH!"

"That's it, that's it, that's it," Ginny cried, encouraging her. "Don't stop, keep pushing."

That brought Ron back in a hurry and he reached to clasp Hermione's hand, the knock to his noggin forgotten while Harry stood in the corner looking awkward. This was so not how he expected his evening to go.

Hermione gave one last effort before collapsing back against the pillows, but it was enough as a high pitched cry filled the room.

"It's a girl! And she's perfect," Ginny announced happily as she and Janice quickly went to work on cleaning her new niece/god-daughter up enough to hand over to her parents. "You did it Hermione!"

"I did it," Hermione cheered weakly, absolutely exhausted but eager accepting her daughter when Ginny handed her over.

Finally Harry felt that it was safe to come out of the corner and meet his god daughter. "Hello little girl," he cooed, smiling when he noticed that she already had her father's bright red hair and blue eyes. "What's your name?"

"We decided that if she was a girl we were going to name her after Mum," Ron answered for his daughter, from where he was sitting next to his wife, his arms around his newly expanded family. "Her name is Molly. Molly Jane Weasley."

"Mum's going to be so happy," Ginny said misting up a little. "We'll give you guys a few minutes before Janice takes Molly to get checked out."

Peeling off her gloves she dumped them in the trash and headed out into the hall, Harry only a half step behind her. Once she was out sight she collapsed against the wall, sliding down until she was sitting on the floor.

"I was not prepared for that tonight," she admitted. "I was terrified that I would mess something up or something would go wrong."

"But it didn't and you didn't," Harry said reassuringly, joining her on the floor. "You were amazing love," he added looking at his girlfriend with new eyes. "I've never seen you in full Healer mode like that before. All take charge like that. It was kinda sexy."

"Yeah well that was how Hermione got into that mess," Ginny couldn't help but joke.

Harry laughed too and went to hug her until he saw the state of the front of her robes. Birthing was a messy business "I'll wait to hug you until after you change," he said looking a little green.

Ginny looked down at herself, sure she wouldn't hug herself either right now. But it wasn't as bad as all that. "I've never seen you so squeamish over a little blood before," she said looking at him curiously. He had certainly had and seen enough injuries over the years and he'd never had quite this reaction before.

"It's not just the blood," he explained. "It's blood and other stuff, and it came out of Hermione." He lowered his voice and leaned in closer so no one would over hear. "From down _there_."

"I love you Harry James," Ginny said through her laughs. "You go call my parents. I'm going to go wash up." Leaning over, she planted a kiss on his cheek before climbing to her feet and heading towards the locker rooms, her laughter following her down the hall.

* * *

A/N And there it is poor Hermione is finally out of labor limbo… I wrote a couple pages of this years ago before my hiatus so I'm hoping I'm not incredibly rusty and the new stuff I just wrote blends in, so you'll have to let me know what you guys think :) And if it turns out that anyone still cares about this story, I PROMISE I'll get the next chapter up in a far more reasonable time frame… scouts honor!


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